Nineteen
by Tarts Wardrobe
Summary: You are only nineteen once.
1. The Beginning

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: **I do no own Digimon, these characters or the whole Digimon universe. I only made this story for entertainment purposes.

* * *

><p>Just as she was turning around the corner, her car stalled. Again. She let out a few choice swear words under her breath as she craned her neck to look behind her. "<em>Thank God<em>" she murmured. Normally, when this happened several cars would be behind her, honking their horns and waiting for her to start moving again. Today however she was pleased to see no angry drivers wagging their fists out their car windows at her. She started the engine up again and with little hesitation it began running.

The car was not much. Hell, it was a piece of crap, but it was hers. She had saved her money, taking extra shifts at the shop she worked in and even sold a few articles of clothing online. The previous owner was happy to get rid of it. When she bought it off him the interior stunk, there were stains on the upholstery (one splatter looked suspiciously like dried blood) and the C.D player had been taken out, but it was her car. She bought it all by herself without any help whatsoever.

She pulled into an empty parking space and turned the car off. She opened the car door (jiggling the handle first – it always got stuck) and stepped out. She locked the door, throwing her car keys into her large, pink purse and headed towards the double glass doors. This morning's ensemble was not something she would wear on a regular basis even with her recent shopping budget. She wore a pair of black, elastic yoga pants that clung to her slender legs and a crisp, white button down shirt. The sleeves that had been rolled up just below her elbows revealed her thin wrists.

As she pulled open the large, glass door the strong aroma of coffee met her nostrils. She breathed it all in, happily sighing and moved to the back of the long line up of customers. She had been standing for a few minutes before one of the baristas behind the counter called her name. He was holding the tall, white paper cup that she knew was filled with her beverage of choice. She walked over to him, smiling. He handed her the cup and a paper bag, which she presumed held a warmed up cinnamon roll. The breakfast of champions.

"Thank you, so much" Her voice was sugary and soft. She cradled the paper bag in her arm and reached over the counter to give him a one-armed hug. "I owe you!" She said, still smiling.

"Don't worry, I know" he winked playfully.

Taking a sip of her coffee, which was made exactly to her liking, she crossed through the coffee shop into the adjoining bookstore. She walked down the busy main aisle and into the back. She stopped in front of a heavy, metal door with a small keypad just below the handle. Holding her coffee in her hand and the paper bag under her arm, she punched in the correct digits and opened the door. She sat her coffee and cinnamon roll down on the lunch table and pulled her black uniform vest from a white plastic hanger. She rummaged through her purse and grabbed her cell phone, in cased in a pink, rubbery "skin" and slipped it into the inner vest pocket.

She looked up at the big clock that hung over the doorframe. She had ten minutes to spare. She sat herself down on one of the red fabric chairs at the table and began picking at her cinnamon roll. She pulled off little bits of icing soaked dough at a time. Eating carefully and slowly. She flipped through an issue of VOGUE magazine, which a co-worker must have brought from the magazine racks at the front of the shop.

She finished off the rest of the roll and licked the sweet, sticky mess from her fingers. She looked down at her vest and tossed her honey coloured hair over her shoulder, revealing a bright blue name tag. In bold, white letters it said BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS. Underneath that was a white stuck on label and written with black pen in loopy cursive writing was her name. Mimi.

-x-

She looked down at the small mountain of books and magazines a customer had left. Rolling her eyes, she hunched over and sorted through the merchandise. She tossed the magazines onto an empty chair. She felt less annoyed noticing that they were all thick wedding magazines and how easy they were to put away. She stacked the novels up, reading the back covers of those that looked interesting.

"Hey, Mimi" a voice came from behind her. She spun around and found one of her managers named Aimee smiling at her.

"Hey," Mimi returned the smile. "How are you?" she asked.

After a short conversation of what each other did over the weekend, Aimee left Mimi to continue shelving the customers mess and returned to the managers' office. Just as Mimi heard the heavy door shut, she felt her cell phone vibrate against her chest. She peered around to see if anyone was looking at her and pulled her phone out of the inside pocket. A little, red notification informed her of a new text. She dragged her thumb over the track pad and clicked the icon. An unknown number displayed in tiny black print. She clicked it and read the short message that followed.

_Hey Mimi! Long time no talk.  
>Wanna hang out later?<br>Lemme know!  
>It's Matt btw.<em>

She read the message over several more times, peering down at the screen. Her eyebrows were knit and her lips pursed in a confused pout. Yamato 'Matt' Ishida was the last person she would expect an invitation to hang out from, let alone a text message. Sure, they sometimes hung out when they were kids and yeah, they saw each other a few times at mutual friend's get-togethers throughout high school, but she would hardly consider him a friend. Without a response, she slipped the phone back into her pocket and got back to work. However, throughout her entire shift she kept trying to figure out why he had suddenly messaged her.

-x-

She slumped into the familiar drivers' seat of her car, her feet aching from walking around all day. She grabbed her phone from her purse and re-read Matt's message. She decided to respond. Her thumbs moved across the keypad quickly, her painted pink nails clicking against the keys. She read her response over before finally clicking SEND.

_Hey, surprised to hear from you!  
>What do you have in mind?<em>

She started her car several times before the engine began humming. The radio started up, quietly playing an old Nirvana song that Mimi knew from somewhere. Humming along, she carefully backed out of the parking space and began on her way home. From the corner of her eye she saw the little red light flashing on her phone, signalling a new message. With one hand on the wheel, she used her other hand and she grabbed the phone and looked at the screen.

_We can grab something to eat?  
>Or you can come over and we can catch up?<em>

Using one thumb she quickly texted a reply telling him it was his choice. She threw her phone back on the passenger seat and prayed her car would make it all the way home.

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><p><strong>Tarts Wardrobe **Woo thank you for reading the first chapter of NINETEEN my new Digimon fanfic! I know it's nothing too special yet but keep looking out for updates! I hope you enjoyed reading and do not hesitate to review!

**Chapter Soundtrack/ **_About a Girl - _Nirvana


	2. Night Time

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_**  
><strong>  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own Digimon, just this fanfic.

* * *

><p>Mimi Tachikawa parked her car in its designated spot in the underground car lot. It was dark and the air felt warm and sticky. She pulled her keys from her purse and held the little grey tag to the doorway leading inside. The door buzzed and unlocked. She walked through the deserted basement lobby and pushed the elevator button signalling up. As usual, it was a long few minutes before the elevator chimed and the heavy steel doors opened. She stepped inside and pressed the button for the eleventh floor.<p>

A large group of people got in the elevator from the first floor lobby. Mimi pressed herself in the mirrored back walls trying to make room. It was not until the third floor or so that Mimi noticed that a handsome young man was looking at her. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled politely. She averted her gaze ahead, still feeling his eyes on her. She was used to this. Walking down the street, she would gain the attention of various men, old and young. She suddenly felt hot and self conscious. They reached the fifth floor, the sixth… When were all these people getting out?

Finally when the elevator stopped at the ninth floor the large gathering pooled out. The young man had turned to look back at her before the elevator doors closed, his lips curled in a small smile. She smiled back weakly, as the doors shut tight.

-x-

Shortly after her high school graduation, Mimi moved out of her parents' home and bought this small apartment. She no longer wanted her mother and father to provide for her and she most definitely did not want to get everything in life handed to her just because of her last name. The apartment was small and cramped, but with a few, slight renovations it really felt like home. It was a three roomed apartment – just a bedroom, bathroom and main room. Half furnished with items from her childhood bedroom and some items her and her best friend Sora found at garage sales or flea markets. She tossed her keys into the small, glass bowl that sat on a small table near the front door. She took out her phone, blinking red from a new message and plugged it into the phone charger that lay on the kitchen counters. She opened the message and read through it quickly. She responded in agreement and set her phone back down.

_Head over to mine around 7:00_

The message also included his address and a map. She checked the time, it was ten to six. She pulled open her refrigerator and took out a small takeout box of shrimp Pad Thai leftover from last nights dinner. She ate, leaning up against the counter tops. The sound of gentle footsteps came out from her bedroom and out walked Rocky, her three month old kitten. He sat at her feet meowing. He was too small to jump up onto the counter, so Mimi scooped him up and sat him down on the faux-marble surface. She scratched his head gently as he tried to bite onto her chopsticks. Giggly softly, she lifted them away from him and finished off her food.

She decided she would shower before she left. Piling her long hair up on top of her head and securing it with a clip, she undressed and stepped into the shower. As she began scrubbing down her arms with a loufa she could not help but feel a little bit nervous. She did not know what to expect. Was Matt just inviting her over or had he gone out and invited all their old friends? Was he only inviting her over because he had not received any better offers this Friday night?

As she began towelling herself off, she could not help but think to call Matt and cancel. Tell him she had eaten bad Thai food and could barely stop vomiting. She shook her head, she was over thinking this. She and Matt were once decent friends and maybe at one point, however brief, she did have a slight crush on him. But, there was nothing wrong with hanging out with old friends, is there? She, herself had just the other day gone out to lunch with an old friend she had met so many years prior at cheerleading camp. Everything was going to be fine. There was nothing to worry about.

-x-

She parked in the guest parking just outside the front doors to his apartment building. She had drove by this building so many times, just wondering what the people inside were like. Compared to her small, practically run down building his was extravagant. She went through the first set of doors and was faced with an electronic screen. She scanned through the names until she came to Ishida, M. She clicked it and a moment later a voice came from the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hi! It's Mimi" She spoke a little too enthusiastically. He did not speak another word, there was just a loud BUZZZZ! And the sound of the door clicking open. She had been right about extravagant. The lobby was surrounded by dark wood panelling on the walls and even darker hard wood floors. There were a dozen black leather armchairs and couches and a sparkling chandelier hung from the two storey ceiling. Growing up, Mimi had experienced her parents lavish lifestyle so she should have been accustomed to all of this. Yet, as she made her way to the elevator she could not help but look around in awe.

-x-

She stood outside his doorway. Since when did Mimi Tachikawa get nervous? She looked down at her outfit, dark jeans, a loose fitted white tank top and a pair of blue and white striped heeled sandals. She held out her balled up fist and gave three sharp knocks on the wooden door.

It was a moment before the heavy, oak door swung open before her. And there he was. Standing before her, with his perfectly messy blonde hair and piercing azure eyes. One side of his mouth was turned up in a smirk.

"Mimi Tachikawa" he said.

"Hell-ooo" She spoke in her sing-song voice, as she flicked her hand in a slight wave.

"It has been so long," He said. His voice was calm and cool.

She swallowed thickly, as though swallowing her nerves and spoke in her familiar bubbly tone. "I know, right!" She flashed him a smile and he lead her inside. It might have been a once gorgeous apartment, but she could hardly tell. A large shoe collection poured out from the coat cupboard. In the kitchen area there were dozens of empty beer bottles, and those generic, red party cups littered the counter. There was a stack of unclean plates piled in the stainless steel sink and what looked like whipped cream from a spray can smeared over the dark wood floors.

"Wild night?" Mimi asked, slightly amused and slightly disgusted at the mess.

He laughed and dragged a hand through his messy hair, "Yeah, sorry" he grinned. "Didn't get a chance to tidy up…"

He led Mimi through a sliding door into a living room complete with ceiling to floor windows overlooking the city. Under a large flat screen television which hung from the wall were several gaming systems, wires tangled up in one another, controllers laying on the sleek, leather couch, with their wires stretching over a coffee table.

"It's a nice place," Mimi said after a few moment of silence. "Are you living here alone?"

He shook his head, "Got two roommates," he said. "They're out tonight."

She nodded her head. "So," She spoke, "What shall we do?"

-x-

She had no idea how it had happened. One minute, they were on the couch playing some game on one of his many gaming systems, knocking back a few drinks and catching up on old times then the next thing she knew she was laying on his bed. Loud music blasted from his sound system. He was kissing her, crushing his lips against hers. His hands working their way through her long hair, than up and down her back until finally, they made their way up the back of her shirt.  
><em><br>In the night time it's the right time  
><em>_as the feeling hits the floor  
><em>_It's the season I've got no reason  
><em>_are you feeling insecure_

He unhooked her bra with ease and the thought of him doing this countless times with other girls briefly crossed her mind. The thought was fleeting and as his warm hands rubbed against her warm skin, she had forgotten all about it. He pulled her shirt up slightly and began kissing her stomach, she giggled softly. He trailed a dozen kisses up her stomach, her chest, her neck until he was back at her lips, nibbling at them slightly. She ran her hands up his chest, underneath his cotton t-shirt. He unbuttoned her jeans and slowly began pulling the zipper down. She grabbed his hand to stop him.

_Thinking of the subjects that you never bring to light_  
><em>Kept in in the day, and brought out in the night<em>  
><em>Cause views are strong when you're believing<em>  
><em>Intervening<em>

"I should go," she said, quietly.

He groaned, "Are you sure? You can spend the night if you like."

She shook her head. "I can't." She sat up and adjusted her bra, hooking the clasps at the back. He sat up as well, watching her. She got up off his bed, doing up her jeans. She walked over to the mirror that hung on his wall. Her hair was a mess, her makeup slightly smudged and a love bite on her neck stood out against her porcelain skin.

"Shit," she whispered as Matt came behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

He looked at her neck, and smiled, "Guess I got a bit carried away," he let out a small laugh. She smiled at the mirror and turned around.

"I better leave," she said, looking up at him. He nodded and tilted his head down and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"We should do this again sometime," he suggested, as he followed her out of his bedroom. She smiled and nodded her head, slipping her sandals back on.

"It was nice to see you," She said.

"You too."

-x-

It was dark out now, the screen on her phone told her it was nearing one o'clock in the morning. She got into the car and rested her head on the steering wheel, going over everything that had just happened. Had this been his whole plan? He just needed someone to hook up with? She started the car, cursing herself for coming over here in the first place.

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><p><strong>Tarts Wardrobe **Thank you to everyone who has read the first chapter and to those who have continued to the second! Don't forget to add NINETEEN to your story alerts so you can be notified of upcoming chapters! If you enjoyed it, please review and favourite!

**Chapter Soundtrack/**_ Night Time -_ FranKo


	3. Pansies

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon, or any of these characters (except those I make up for the sake of this story). And I do not own any of the lyrics used.

* * *

><p>She crawled under the white duvet cover, curling her bare legs up behind her. Her bedroom was nothing special compared to the one back at her parents house, but this room felt more her. It was a small, rectangular room with walls painted a pale green. Her bed was small but comfortable with its thick duvet cover and soft, white sheets. Beside her bed was a small end table, just large enough to hold this beautiful white glass lamp Sora had found at a garage sale just a few months prior. Next to her bedroom door was her wardrobe, and an impressive wardrobe at that. A collection of clothes lay inside, in no particular system of organization, yet she was always able to find anything she needed quickly. An organized mess.<p>

On the other side of the small room, was a white wooden desk. Across the surface sat her white laptop, a sleek black case overflowing with various makeup products and a collection of dainty perfume bottles. On the floor beside her desk was a stack of books that reached perhaps up to the middle of her thigh. Merchandise she had purchased from work and had yet to read.

Above the desk was what sealed the deal when Mimi had gone apartment hunting. It was a window, not particularly large, but not small either. It gave her a magnificent view of Seaside Park, one her favourite places in Odaiba while she was growing up.

She reached over and turned off her bedside lamp. As she did, Rocky jumped up onto her bed and snuggled right up close to her face. His rough tongue licked at her neck and she giggled softly, gently pushing him away. He settled down at her chest falling asleep nearly instantly. As she closed her eyes, hoping sleep would overcome her she heard the low vibration of her phone on the end table. She grabbed it and pressed a button, the bright light of the screen causing her to groan quietly and squint at the screen.

_Goodnight and sweet dreams  
>Matt<em>

She smiled slightly to herself and returned a quick goodnight message of her own, before setting her phone down and drifting off into sleep.

-x-

_If I said my heart was beating loud  
>If we could escape the crowd somehow<br>If I said I want your body now  
>Would you hold it against me?<em>

Her cell phone vibrated against the tables surface and her ringtone blared out from the speakers. Her eyes still closed, she tried to reach out and turn her phone off. She slapped at the table, but could not quite grasp the mobile.

'_Cuz you feel like paradise  
>And I need a vacation tonight<br>So if I said I want your body now  
>Would you hold it against me?<em>

The chorus repeated itself three more times before Mimi finally sat up and shut her phone off. She looked around her room. She could see Rockys' silhouette as he sat on the window sill behind the thin white curtains that hung over her window. She got up out of bed and slipped her feet into a pair of fluffy, pink slippers.

"Morning Rocky" she yawned, pulling open her curtains and scratching the small orange cats head. She padded into the small bathroom and stepped into the shower.

-x-

Across town and in an apartment much more luxurious, Matt woke up to the sound of guns firing. He groaned loudly and got out of bed, wearing nothing but a wear of navy boxer shorts. Rubbing his eyes, he made his way to the television room where his two roommates were perched on the sofa playing a video game.

"Fuckin' turn that down. Jesus" Matt said, more sleepily than angrily.

"Alright, alright! No need to get menstrual about it," His black haired roommate Jiro Hishumi picked up the television remote and turned down the volume, smiling.

"Funny," Matt yawned, sliding open the door towards the kitchen. "Anyone want coffee?" he offered, setting up the high-tech looking machine.

"Yes sir," Jiro said, not taking his eyes off the game.

"Make me a tea, please?" Matt's second roommate asked. His eyebrows were knit in determination, focussed on the game at hand.

"You know what tea is? Tea is a pansy drink, Kamiya." Jiro laughed.

"It's fuckin' delicious, that's what it is." Taichi 'Tai' Kamiya dragged a rough hand through his untameable mess of brown hair.

Matt came back from the kitchen holding two mugs, swirls of steam rising from each. He sat the mugs down on the coffee table and went to grab his own coffee, coming back in time to see Jiro throw his game remote onto the floor.

"Dude what the hell! How did you beat me?" Jiro stared at the television screen, stunned.

"Tea." Tai said, picking up his warm mug. "Beverage of champions."

-x-

It was so silent in her tiny apartment, when her Poptart popped out from the toaster she gave a tiny jump. She plucked the frosty treat out from the slot and quickly dropped it on a pale yellow dish.

"Damn, that was hot" She muttered to herself. She poured herself a glass of milk and sat at the small round table eating her breakfast. It was too early for traffic down on the streets below, so the silence felt almost eerie. She turned on the small radio on the fake marble counter tops and began humming along.

It was not long before the sound of her Britney Spears ringtone came from her bedroom. She ran to get it, peering at the caller identification before holding it up to her ear.

"Oh, hell-ooo my dear friend," She spoke excitedly into the phone. She always got like this.

"And good morning to you, Madame!" Mimi's best friend Sora Takenouchi responded, faking a terrible British accent. Mimi laughed, wrinkling her nose up as she did.

"So what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked, cradling the cell phone between her ear and her shoulder. She and Sora always spoke proper over the phone, trying out different accents. It was something they had done as kids.

"Well, m'lady" Sora spoke now with a sense of urgency in her voice and false importance. "It is Saturday and I am bored. What are you going to do to fix this?" She paused and Mimi suppressed a giggle "and DO NOT give me the wrong answer."

-x-

Later in the day, Mimi packed a few things into a bag and made sure Rocky had enough food and water to last until tomorrow. She would be going over to Sora's apartment and spend the night. Giving Rocky a small kiss on his head, she left locking the door behind her.

Half an hour later, Mimi stood outside Sora's front door, she made a stop at the grocers to pick up some snacks, a bottle of vodka and a few magazines. She pressed her finger to the doorbell and waited a few seconds before the door swung open.

"Hello, Ms Takenouchi!" Mimi smiled widely. Ms Takenouchi was like a second mother to Mimi. She greeted her daughters friend with a warm hug.

"How are you, Mimi?" She asked, letting her go. "How is everything? Good?" She asked, gesturing for Mimi to step inside the familiar front room.

Mimi nodded, "Everything is going well, thanks" she smiled, taking her sandals off and placing them neatly on the red, rectangular rug that sat just in front of the doorway.

"Good, good," Ms Takenouchi spoke, her voice was soft, much unlike Sora's, who came rushing from her bedroom and engulfed her best friend in a hug that one might give after not seeing a loved on for years. Sora saw Mimi the other day.

"Mimi!" She squealed. "My, look how you have grown!" She looked Mimi up and down. "How's the husband? The kids? Oh, my word! It's lovely to see you!" She pretended, grabbing her friend by the hand and dragging her back to Soras' bedroom. Ms Takenouchi stood at the door laughing and shook her head.

-x-

Sora closed the door behind them and both girls jumped onto the bed. Mimi looked around at the bedroom she had practically grown up, noticing nothing has changed. She reached deep into her purse and pulled out the clear plastic bottle of vodka and held it up in triumph as if it were a trophy.

"Looky what I brought!" She tossed the bottle onto Soras' lap and pulled a stack of magazines from the bag, next. Sora stood the bottle on her end table and flipped through the magazines quickly.

"Honestly, Meems you're the best."

Mimi waved her hand in fake modesty, "Oh stop it!" she said, holding back her giggles. "Look what else I got," she pulled out a box of Cookie Dough Poptarts and package of chocolates. She sat them on the bed between them and they started feasting.

"So, I hung out with Matt last night…" Mimi said casually, breaking the corner of her poptart off and eating it.

"Matt?" Sora repeated, "Like Matt Ishida?" Mimi nodded her head.

"He randomly texted me yesterday, asking to 'catch up'." She took another bite, chewed and swallowed. "God, I probably haven't seen him since your eighteenth birthday party…"

In ninth grade, Mimi and her parents moved to New York for a year for her fathers business. They moved back in the middle of her Sophomore year, but rather sending her to Odaiba Private School with Sora and Matt and all her old friends, they sent her to the Odaiba Girls Academy, an all girls school. She only managed to stay in touch with Sora and she occasionally met up with the others at parties.

"That's weird," Sora said, unwrapping a mini Mars Bar. "What did you guys do?" Sora watched as Mimi looked at her feet and bit her lip, nervously. Sora smiled widely and shook her head. "You didn't! Did you? What happened!" She stared at her best friend waiting for the answer, excitedly.

Mimi's eyes widened. "We didn't have sex! What do you think I am?" She playfully shoved Sora and began going over the events that occurred the night prior.

"Woah." Sora said simply, eyebrows raised.

Mimi nodded, "I know, right?" She brought her knees into her chest, "Totally weird. He texted me this morning," she pulled out her phone and handed it to Sora. She watched as her best friends crimson eyes scanned the small screen. Smirking, Sora looked up.

"You must have made quite the impression on Ishida," She handed the phone back to Mimi, "I mean if he wants to hang out again then it's not like he just needed you for the night 'coz he was bored." She leaned back against the blue walls, "But just, you know, be careful, yeah? He's kind of a player and can be an ass a lot of the time…"

Mimi cut her off, smiling. "I'm not going to go falling in love with him."

* * *

><p><strong>Tarts Wardrobe **Thank you for reading another chapter of NINETEEN. I hope you've enjoyed it! Don't forget to add to your Story Alerts!

**Chapter Soundtrack/ **_In the Morning - _The Coral**  
><strong>_Hold it Against Me - _Britney Spears


	4. Benches

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Digimon or any recognizable brands used. Nor do I own any songs or lyrics used.

* * *

><p>It was nearing midnight and the two girls were lying on their stomachs in the Takenouchi living room in front of the television. Soras' mother had gone to spend the night at her new boyfriends' house, so the girls were alone.<p>

"_I never wanna look at you again! I never…_" a females voice blared from the television set. She continued screaming, yelling out a string of curse words as she did, wailing her fists at her boyfriend.

Just as the girl dropped another _F-bomb_, Sora held up a shot glass. "Drink!" she yelled, knocking her head back and downing the clear liquid. Mimi did the same. They were watching some reality show marathon about a bunch of Americans living in a house together. They made a drinking game out of it: every time someone curses – drink!; every time the male characters sing a song about their t-shirts – drink!, and so on.

They were two episodes into the marathon and Mimi was already feeling pretty intoxicated. During a commercial break, she rolled onto her back staring up at the rotating ceiling fan.

"I'm gonna feel like shit tomorrow," She stated, her words slightly slurred. She rolled on her side to face Sora, who was still on her stomach but her cheek was pressed to the red shag carpet, looking over at Mimi.

"You," She pointed a finger towards Sora, "are my absolute best-y, best, best friend in the world!"

Sora smiled wide, "You are _my _bestest ever friend in the universe and to infinity and beyond!"

They were interrupted by Mimi's phone vibrating on the glass coffee table behind them. She lazily sat up, her body slightly swaying and read the new text.

"Oh la la," Sora said, doing a kind of full body wiggle to sit up. "Is that from Mattikins?" She spoke in a baby voice.

Mimi laughed loudly, "I- I don't know. I can't read my…" She paused to continue laughing, "I can't read the screen," She tossed the phone to Sora.

_Hey Mimi,  
>What are you up to?<em>

Sora read the brief message aloud, putting on a deep voice as if she were channelling Matt.

"Tell him… Tell him that I am at your hizzity-house,"

Sora laughed and moved her thumbs quickly over the keypad. A goofy grin was plastered on her face as she hit the SEND button dramatically.

-x-

A loud crash awoke Mimi the next morning. She did not move, she just blinked her eyes. She heard a loud groan and sat up. She was in Soras' bed.

"Ouch." Sora lay on the floor, forehead wrinkled, she looked up at Mimi. "I think I just rolled off the bed and broke my ass." Mimi laughed, regretting it immediately, her head began to pound.

"I feel terrible," she mumbled, lying back down. She felt Sora climb back in the bed. "What time is it?" she asked. Sora grabbed her phone off from the floor, and read the time out to Mimi. Mimi moaned loudly and shut her eyes, "make me breakfast."

"Get off you fat ass and make it yourself" Sora mumbled into her pillow, falling back asleep. Sighing loudly, Mimi got up and padded into the kitchen. She put two bagels in the toaster and began boiling water for tea. From the kitchen, she saw her phone blinking red from the coffee table. She walked over to get it only to see she had fourteen unread messages. The messages were mostly from people whose number she just had, but never bothered contacting. She furrowed her brows in confusion. Why would these people be messaging her? She clicked the first name, a boy she met from New York.

_What?_

That was all he wrote. What the hell? She scrolled up the screen only to see that last night she had sent him a message.

_MIKEY! Wot R u up 2 city boy!  
><em>_I will buy u an airplane cum 2 japan  
><em>_Bi bi funny goose_

"Oh God." She muttered, reading through the rest of the equally embarrassing messages she sent last night. Finally, she came across Matt's name; clicking it she read his response.

_Haha, same here ;)  
>We should get together again.<em>

She vaguely remembered her telling Sora to message him back saying where she was, but his response did not make sense. The scrolled up to read what Sora had actually sent, and brought a hand to her forehead, mortified.

_Oh Mattikinz  
>I am just all aloney wanting your hands all over me<em>

"Sora!" Mimi yelled, ignoring the whistling kettle she stomped back into Soras bedroom, shaking her friend awake.

"Wha?" The crimson haired girl said sleepily, peering at Mimi with one opened eye. Without a word Mimi shoved her phone in her best friends face. A moment passed before-

"Oh shit," Sora brought a hand to her mouth, holding back laughter. "I'm so sorry! I don't even remember!" She re-read the message and his response. "At least he feels the same way,"

Mimi rolled her eyes, and walked back into the kitchen. "You're a bitch," She spoke loudly, preparing their tea.

"You love me."

-x-

Matt was what you may call a _player_. He was good looking and confident around the ladies. He would go out on a Saturday night and women would just find themselves magnetized to him. It was not unusual for Matt to pull several ladies during an outing with his roommates. The pockets of his distressed, designer jeans would be crammed with cocktail napkins by the end of the evening. Each napkin holding the phone number of the various girls he had encountered. Some napkins had a smudged lipstick imprint, or a messy scrawl reading _Call Me xx_. Two kisses meant she was interested; three meant she was down for _anything_. He was a ladies man and he could have virtually any woman he wanted for an evening, so why was he home this afternoon staring at his cell phone waiting for _her_ to message him back?

The little _R_ beside the last message he sent meant that she had read and received it. So why had she yet to reply? Normally it was girls messaging him and him just ignoring them. He felt almost silly to be so worked up over this, he could hardly keep his phone down for a second, constantly checking it in case he did not feel the vibrations or see the flashing red light.

"Man up and message her yourself." Spoke a voice from behind Matt. He spun around to find Jiro standing behind him, his forehead slick with sweat. "Whoever it is, just message her yourself. You are acting like you are a fucking twelve year old girl."

Matt rolled his eyes, putting his phone down.

"Where have you been? And why do you look so…" Jiros' entire body seemed covered in sweat. "…Slippery?"

"Soccer. Me and Tai. Man's a monster! Shit!" He left the living room and walked into his bedroom.

Matt laughed and picked up his phone. He would text her once more. He scrolled through the contacts and clicked on her name and began a message. He deleted and rewrote several variations of the message before finally hitting SEND. He drummed his fingers on his leg, opening the message twice to see if it had been read. Not yet. He was going to drive himself crazy doing this. He stood up off the couch leaving his phone behind and walked to join Jiro in his room.

"Let's go out. Let's just go do something."

-x-

Arm wrapped loosely around her best friends shoulders, Mimi unlocked her apartment door and the two girls stumbled in, laughing.

"Hey _Angel Fluff_!" Sora said, cheerfully as Mimi's kitten, Rocky came strutting into view. She picked him up and held her to her chest. "You were left all alone last night! Mimi is a mean mummy, isn't she?" She spoke in a baby voice, adding little _meows_ here and there, convinced she was speaking Cat.

"Oh, shut up." Mimi laughed, "Cats love being alone. All he does is sleep and eat," she opened her refrigerator and pulled out two bottled waters. She offered one to Sora. Putting the cat down, Sora took the bottle and unscrewed the lid.

"It's far too nice outside to be in here," Sora wiped the water drops from her lips, twisting the bottles cap back on.

"Park?" Suggested Mimi. After Soras' nod of approval, Mimi held of a finger gesturing to wait a minute, "I need to get changed."

In her bedroom, Mimi wiggled out of her dark denim skinny jeans, pulling her phone from the pocket as she did. The bright light flashed signalling a new text message had been received. Standing in her underwear, Mimi clicked at the keypad and read the flashing message.

_Wanna hang out tonight?  
>I'll be at Crash around 9:30<br>Please come?  
><em>

She thought for a moment. What could it hurt? _See you then _she typed, before pulling on a pair of pink, cotton shorts and a white tee.

-x-

The two best friends linked arms and walked down the Seaside Park boardwalk. The horn of the Tokyo Water Cruise blared in the distance. The two girls watched in silence as it slowly came closer and closer. Mimi assumed it was just arriving in from Harumi, carrying aboard tourists and locals. She fondly remembered so many years prior her and Sora sitting on the boats second floor, leaning over the rails and looking down at the bay below. They spent the whole afternoon after school travelling down the Odaiba line - from Hinode Pier, to Harumi to Odaiba than back again. That was the Tuesday before Mimi moved to New York the following Friday. The two girls spoke about their hopes for high school and how they would be best friends forever. It was not until their fifth trip back to Odaiba that one of the cruise attendants interrupted the tearful friends and told them they had to finally get off.

Turning to look at Sora, Mimi could tell she was replaying the same memory in her head. Mimi took her hand, "Come on!" she shouted, breaking out into a run. They had been running down the boardwalk for about a minute when Mimi began to slow down, leading Sora to an old, wooden park bench. They both sat down and Sora ran her hands across the wooden back. Carved into the eroded wood were seven messily carved words: _Mimi Tachikawa + Sora Takenouchi = Best Friends Forever_.

-x-

Six Years Earlier

"_I cannot believe he kicked us off!" A thirteen year old Mimi Tachikawa said, incredulously. "We paid for those tickets!" She shouted._

"_We only paid for one trip," Sora Takenouchi laughed, it was typical of Mimi to get so worked up. "Let's sit down. I need to finish my mathematics work." She led Mimi to the wooden bench that they always occupied and dropped her school bag on the grass beside them._

"_I do not understand why my parents couldn't wait until school finished to move!" Mimi said angrily, digging the heel of her shoe into the soft earth below. "There are only two more weeks left! I don't want to go to stupid New York!"_

_Sora sighed sadly. She of course did not want her best friend leaving her, but she smiled and put on a brave face. "Come on, Meems you're going to love America! You love all those old movies, like that one with the State Empire Building?"_

"_Empire State Building," Mimi corrected, smiling slightly. "And New York is where all the celebrities go isn't it?" Sora nodded her head in agreement. "Maybe it won't be so bad," Mimi thought, "But I'm just going to miss you so much!" Her eyes began watering again, she blinked back the tears._

"_I'm going to miss you, too!" Sora grabbed her friend into a tight embrace, her own tears wetting Mimi's shirt._

"_Maybe as an act of rebellion," Mimi sniffed "I'll dye my hair pink!"_

_Sora laughed, wiping at her eyes. She pulled out her mathematics workbook and began working. Mimi took Soras' pencil tin and pulled out her math compass. With the blunt end, Mimi began messily scratching into the back of the bench. Her forehead wrinkled in determination, she scraped viciously at the hard wood. Sora watched smiling. _Mimi Tachikawa + Sora Takenouchi = Best Friends _it read. Sora took the compass from her friends hand and scratched in _Forever_._

-x-

Present Day

"I swear to God," Mimi said, staring down at the carving, "If they ever get rid of this bench, I will cry."

"This bench houses a lot of memories," Sora smiled, remembering certain moments fondly. "Like the first time you got drunk, you laid down here and threw up."

Mimi winced, "Don't remind me. That was not my finest hour," She thought for a moment "and you and Tai had your first kiss here," she giggled.

Rolling her eyes, Sora spoke "now that is something I would like to forget," She and Tai were just eleven years when they shared their first kiss. They had just returned home from 'camp' and the whole gang were gathered at Seaside Park. Sora isn't even sure how it happened exactly. One minute, everyone was laughing and joking around and the next Tai _lunged _at her, his lips on her own creating an awkward silence between the group. Sora turned bright red, as did Tai. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head and stood up and began to run, Sora chasing him, hot on his heels.

They continued retelling various memories, some hilarious, some humiliating. Mimi was doubled over, holding her stomach laughing hysterically about the time when Koushiro 'Izzy' Izumi nearly wet himself after Tai joked about there being a spider on his back.

"I… I can still," Mimi sputtered, laughing so hard she could not get the words out, "I can still r-remember his face," She turned to face Sora and did an impression of Izzy's face. Sora burst out laughing, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Oh my God, that was priceless," Her body shook with giggles.

"Man," Mimi spoke, finally gaining control over her voice, "I wish we all stayed better friends," Her voice had a hint of sadness to it.

Sora nodded, "We all went our separate ways during high school and even more so now."

Everyone aside from Mimi attended Odaiba Private School; but even then, they all had their own groups of new friends. Sora, while still remaining in touch with Mimi, befriended all the girls on the schools' tennis team, Matt formed his band and usually hung around his band mates and whoever was his girl friend that week. Tai was still a soccer fanatic and all around athletics enthusiast. He was captain of the boys' soccer team, the football team and the hockey team. Izzy and Joe remained close throughout high school, both partaking in the offered advanced placement courses.

However, now was a different story. Izzy moved to America to attend the prestigious Columbia University in Manhattan. Joe was living not too far away from Odaiba in Nagakute; he was studying medicine at Aichi Medical University. He was living in a dorm on campus with none other than Jun Motomiya (When Matt heard about this he was surprised and slightly relieved).

After senior graduation, Matt and Tai became close friends once more. Since they would both be attending universities in Tokyo that upcoming fall, they bought an apartment together. Matt was at the Tokyo University of the Arts for music (obviously) and Tai was studying Law at the University of Tokyo, he had been given a free ride after receiving an athletics scholarship. His campus in Minato, just on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, made it easy for him to go home for Sunday night dinners with his family.

Sora, like Matt was at Tokyo University of the Arts for design and fashion. She travelled from Odaiba every morning and back home every night. Her mother could not afford to send her to live on campus, but Sora did not mind.

Then, there was Mimi. The previous Spring Mimi had received several offers of admission from schools across Japan, to London, England and even as far as Canada. She had applied for various programs but she could not make her mind up. Her parents pressured her into applying to business schools, but that was not what she wanted, that much she knew for sure. When it came time to accept an offer, Mimi made the tough decision to decline all of them. Much to her fathers' disappointment, she decided she wanted a year off to work and maybe then she would figure out what she wanted to do with her life. So, she got hired at BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS and moved out from her childhood home. Of course, after hearing Soras' stories of university life, Mimi wished she had made up her mind earlier but those moments of regret were only fleeting and she was happy to have more time to make such a crucial decision.

"We should have one big, massive, huge reunion! A party! Isn't Izzy coming home for the summer?" Mimi asked, her cinnamon coloured eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I think so… and Joe and Jun are coming home as well,"

Mimi laughed, "I still cannot believe they are dating! Wasn't she super obsessed with Matt?"

"Meems, that was like, four years ago! But speaking of Matt," Sora turned to face her friend, "Have you spoken to him? I mean, after you told him you wanted his hands all over you?" She giggled, trying to hold it back. Mimi shot her a glare.

"He asked me to go to Crash tonight," she said, avoiding her friends widening smile. "He told me to meet him at around nine-thirty."

Sora whistled, "Someone's gonna get it _in_!" She joked.

Widening her eyes, Mimi playfully shoved her best friend. "You're terrible!" She said.

"It's going to happen eventually!" The crimson haired girl laughed, "If not tonight, one day soon. No girl can resist the handsome Yamato Ishida,"

Mimi rolled her eyes and stood up, brushing off the bottom of her shorts. "You, Sora Takenouchi are horrendous," She stomped off leaving Sora sitting alone on the infamous bench. Mimi turned around, smiling.

"I've got ten bucks in my pocket; wanna get on the Water Cruise? My treat." She said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at the pier.

"Can we just sit up top and go up and down the line until we get kicked off?" Sora got up and walked alongside Mimi.

"What else would we do?" Mimi asked, bumping her hip into her best friend.

* * *

><p><strong>Tarts Wardrobe **I come bearing the fourth (and longest) chapter of NINETEEN. I mainly just wanted to clarify the gangs schooling situations and let y'all know what everyone has been up to! Hope you guys enjoyed it and thanks to everyone that reviewed and added me to your alerts! xxxxx

**Credits/ **The TV show Mimi and Sora are watching is none other than JERSEY SHORE (obviously!)


	5. Judas

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Digimon, any songs/lyrics used or any recognizable brands mentioned throughout.

* * *

><p>Located on the corner of a busy street, Crash was one of Tokyo's nightlife hotspots. Black ropes stood outside the entrance way where a long queue of guests waited in anticipation to be let inside. Without waiting in the line up, Matt walked to the doorman.<p>

"Hey man," Matt said, coolly. He extended a hand to the doorman: a large, balding man in a tight black shirt and ripped jeans. He took Matt's hand in a tight grip and shook it.

"Get in there, Ishida" He said, gesturing to the insides of the club. Nodding his thanks, Matt passed through the threshold followed by Tai, Jiro and Jiro's girlfriend Kimiko.

It was just past nine o'clock and the club was jam packed. Matt and Tai navigated their way through the busy dance floor and made a beeline for the bar. Jiro and Kimiko were already on the dance floor, grinding against one another in between the sweating bodies that surrounded them.

Matt leaned his hip against the bar, attracting the attention of a pretty barmaid nearly instantly.

"Hey boys," She spoke, shaking her long, dark hair from her eyes. She gave Matt a proper once over and smiled seductively. Speaking directly to Matt, she introduced herself as Saint. Eye still glued on blonde and ignoring Tai completely she asked if they wanted a drink.

"Yeah, two whiskeys?" He looked to Tai for a nod of approval.

Saint smiled, "On the rocks?" Matt shook his head. "Coming up,"

His back to the bar as she prepared the drinks, Matt scanned the crowd. She was not due to arrive until nine-thirty, but he still felt a little anxious. _Calm down, man _he thought to himself, _you're being ridiculous_. A small _thud_ behind him signalled the arrival of their beverages. Tai grabbed his glass and sipped it. Matt on the other hand, lifted the glass to his lips and downed it. Slamming the empty cup on the bar, he ordered another.

After knocking back his second glass, Jiro and Kimiko joined them. Matt ordered a round of vodka shots; he looked towards the clubs entrance for any sign of her. Not yet. He turned back to the bar to see the bartender lining up eight shot glasses and filling them. Knocking their heads back, they each downed their two.

"Woo!" Jiro shouted excitedly, an arm wrapped around his girl friends shoulders. "Wanna go back out there, babe?" He gestured to the crowded dance floor. Kimiko nodded her head, her nose wrinkled from the drink. She was not much of a drinker. Grabbing Jiro by the hand, she led him back to the floor.

"You know what, man?" Tai spoke from beside the blonde. "I'm gonna head out," He cocked his head to the door. "Mom wants me to come for family breakfast tomorrow morning," he rolled his eyes. "I'm just gonna crash there tonight," Matt nodded his head and offered Tai a manly embrace. Watching his friend walk off, he could not help but feel a small leap of joy. Jiro was staying at Kimi's tonight and if things go his way, Mimi would be staying at his.

-x-

Mimi stared herself down in her full length mirror once more. She wore black sequined shorts and a white button down shirt. On her feet was a pair of black ankle boots she took from her mothers' closet in the eleventh grade. Her long, honey coloured hair was tied in a high ponytail, curls falling down her back. Satisfied with her reflection, she grabbed her small, black purse and her car keys. The last time she went to Crash was years ago, her and Sora being under aged, snuck in. They danced until the club closed at four o'clock in the morning. They walked back to Odaiba, crossing the rainbow bridge and Mimi passed out on their sacred bench (not before vomiting what seemed like the entire contents of the clubs bar).

She drove through the busy streets, crossing over the traffic-consumed bridge, thanking her lucky stars that her car did not stall. She pulled into a near full car lot behind the club and walked around to the entrance. The queue now was longer than before and as she headed towards the end of the line, several men whistled as she passed. Ignoring them, she took her spot at the lines end and pulled her phone out and found Matt's name.

_Long queue,  
><em>_Be inside shortly._

She hit SEND and waited patiently. Slowly, the line began moving but not by much. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she opened it to a new message.

_It's all under control_

She raised an eyebrow at the screen and a second later her name was being called out.

"Mimi Tachee – Tacheekuh…" The doorman's' voice boomed from the front of the line, "Fuck it! Is there a Mimi here? You can come in"

Nervously, Mimi stepped out from the line and walked towards the door. Angry outbursts came from the people waiting. One girl yelled out a string of obscenities at Mimi, complaining that she had been waiting for over an hour. The doorman ignored her and allowed Mimi in through the door.

The club was just as Mimi remembered. From the doorway, there were a few steps leading up to the club itself. The walls were painted a dark grey and colourful lights flashed around the vast open space. She stood at the entrance, a raised platform, leaning against the black, metal railing. She looked down at the dance floor below, the ocean of bodies moving in time to the roaring music looked welcoming. At the bar she spotted a head of blonde hair that looked so perfectly messy that he must have taken some time in front of the bathroom mirror to achieve. She walked down the few steps onto the dance floor. Pushing her way through the bodies and she made her way to the bar, only to have a few drunk and over confident men try to grind up against her. She would smile politely at them and move on.

He spotted her instantly. As soon as she walked in and leant against the raised platforms railing, it seemed as though every eye was on her. He turned back to the bar. He would play it cool, pretend he had not just seen her. He could feel her edging closer and closer, until he heard the click of the heel on her boots come to a halt.

"Hey" her voice rang out from behind him. He inhaled deeply and turned around.

From afar she looked beautiful, but up close she was absolutely stunning. Her cinnamon eyes were lined with just the right amount of black eyeliner and her lashes were coated in thick lashings of mascara. Subtle hints of glitter sparkled at her cheekbones and her lips were coloured with a pink, matte lipstick. Realizing he had yet to say anything, he gave her a tight embrace and spoke.

"Glad you came,"

She smiled and stepped back slightly once he let her go. "What are you drinking?" she asked, eyeing the third empty glass of whiskey on the bar. A few drips remained.

"Whiskey," he answered, before signalling the barmaid over. "Whaddya want?" he turned to look at Mimi.

Mimi bit her lip, "jägerbombs?" She suggested.

"Good choice," he gave her a smile as the barmaid got to work. The spluttering sound of Red Bull cans being opened were drowned out from the loud music that pumped through the club. The two watched as the Saint poured the Red Bulls into two pint glasses and slid them over to the pair. Next she poured the mahogany coloured fluid into two shot glasses, sliding them over she glared at Mimi. Clearly this girl was going to rob her of her chances with the blonde tonight.

Matt counted down from three and they dropped their shots into the Red Bull. Tilting their heads back, they both downed the liquid and slammed the empty glass on the bar.

Several drinks later, Mimi had her fingers wrapped around Matt's wrist and was dragging him to the crowded dance floor. He abruptly stopped, teetering where the stone slabs of the dance floor began. He was not one to dance. "But, I love this song," she spoke, her voice loud, trying to compete with the music. He shook his head, "Your loss," she winked, weaving her way through the movement of people.

_Can't do it like me (Uh uh)  
><em>_Nah, can't do it like me  
><em>_Nah, nah nah nah, can't do it like me  
><em>_I bet you wish you can do it like me_

His azure eyes followed her, as she shoved past couples and groups of dancing friends. She settled on a vacant space towards the floors center and began swaying to the music.

_Poppin' bottles in the ice (in the ice)  
><em>_Like a blizzard (like a blizzard)  
><em>_When we drink we do it right  
><em>_Gettin' slizzard_

She was getting really into it now. Her body moved like fluid in time to the songs beat. It was not long before some guy was up against her. She did not fight him off, or move away from him. Instead, she wrapped an arm loosely around his neck and her body fell in synch with his.

_Sippin' sizzurp in my ride (in my ride)  
><em>_Like Three 6 (Three 6)  
><em>_Now I'm feelin' so fly  
><em>_Like a G6_

He continued to watch this intruder move in on her. He had his hands all over her backside, gently squeezing at her ass as they danced. Unable to watch any further, Matt stalked over and cut in. Mimi shrugged her shoulders at the stranger and turned to Matt. Her arms now wrapped around his neck, she dragged a hand through his hair.

_DJ put that record on  
><em>_That's my song, that's my shit  
><em>_Rocking Henney XO  
><em>_All these hoes, on my dick_

He pulled her closer into him, breathing her scent in, something floral. Their noses nearly touching, he locked his icy blue eyes onto hers. They continued dancing, their faces in such close proximity, and he could not help but want to latch his lips to hers.

_Bet you want to see this  
><em>_Booty bounce  
><em>_Bet you want to see this  
><em>_Booty bounce_

She could see the hungry look in his eyes, feeling tipsy off the drinks from earlier and lightheaded from the heat on the dance floor, she pulled his face in towards hers and the remaining distance between their lips had vanished.

_Bet you want to see this  
><em>_Booty bouncy bounce b-booty bounce (bounce!)_

The kiss was not particularly passionate, or even all that lengthy. It was the type of kiss that made him yearn for more. But, when their lips parted she smiled and turned away from him and walked off the dance floor. The song had ended but he took little notice. His eyes trailing after her, his lips still felt warm and moist from her touch.

Away from the dance floor, Mimi sat herself on an unoccupied grey, leather loveseat. She caught Matt's eye and with her finger she gestured for him to come and join her. He strutted over, settling down on the empty space beside her. He scooted closer and cloaked his arm around her back. He brought his lips to her neck, leading a trail of kisses up to her jaw.

She felt worn out, and closed over her eyes. He looked up at her for a moment before doing the same. The duo sat in silence for a few brief moments before Mimi spoke out. Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet even with the thundering music he heard her clear as day.

"I'm not some booty call, you know."

His eye lids fluttered open, and he stared at her. She still had her eyelids closed over, yet she carried on.

"I'm not somebody you can just call over after God knows how long it's been, just because you can't find someone better."

He remained speechless for a minute. He had not meant for her to get that idea into her head. "That isn't what this is," he said, his voice was spiked with urgency. "I swear this isn't…"

She turned to him, her cheek pressed against the cool leather of the couch, her eyes now opened.

"Why did you message me the other day?" She asked. The tone in which she spoke was not spiteful, just curious. The question posed was scarcely audible. He stared back into her eyes, trying to think up an answer. Why did he message her the other day? Truthfully, he had been going through the contact list in his phone, deleting the numbers of girls he had met at clubs and already had his way with. As he did this, he came across her name. Rarely did he ever scroll through his contact list, normally in the recipient box he would just key in whoever's name he wished to contact. So when he highlighted over those four letters that made up the girl he had forgotten about entirely, he was intrigued. There was nothing more to it. No hidden, suppressed feelings for her, not even an urge to mess around. Boredom. Simply boredom.

But, of course he could not say that. _Oh, yes Mimi. I invited you over to my apartment and hooked up with you because I had been going through my contact list and I was bored. _She stared at him, waiting for an answer. Or perhaps his silence was just as good as one. Mimi shook her head sadly. Strands of hair had broken free from her ponytail and were now stuck to her face in damp clumps. She got up and proceeded to walk away towards the clubs exit.

_I couldn't love a man so purely  
><em>_Even prophets forgave his crooked way  
><em>_I've learned love is like a brick you can  
><em>_Build a house or sink a dead body  
><em>_I'll bring him down, bring him down, down  
><em>_A king with no crown, king with no crown_

In a split second, Matt made a decision. He stood and caught up to her, placing a hand over her shoulder and spun her around. He kissed her, harder and more enduring than the last. He felt her begin to kiss back, her hands tangled up in his hair and his running up and down her back. His tongue came out to explore the insides of her warm, wet mouth. She tasted of whiskey, he noted as their tongues danced together.

"I've missed you," He whispered into her lips. "I have never stopped thinking about you."

_I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby he's so cruel  
><em>_But I'm still in love with Judas, baby  
><em>_I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby he's so cruel  
><em>_But I'm still in love with Judas, baby_

_Ohohohoh  
><em>_I'm in lov__e with Judas_

_Ohohohoh  
><em>_I'm in love with Judas_

* * *

><p><strong>Tarts Wardrobe **Aren't I like the queen of speedy updates? So, as it appears Matt is not exactly Mr Nice Guy, but who knows whats going to happen next! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and continue to look out for updates! Don't forget to review and subscribe! You don't know how much it's killing me to write so little about Tai - he's my favourite :( Haha, I've got big plans for him though, so do not fret Tai Fanatics! Have a good night everyone! xx

**Chapter Soundtrack/ **_Booty Bounce - _Dev  
><em>Judas - <em>Lady Gaga


	6. Sweat Pants

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: **Blah blah I don't won Digimon or recognizable brands/lyrics/tv shows/books etc

* * *

><p>This was not her bed. Mimi was sure of it, even with her eyes still closed. Where her bed was soft and cushiony, this bed was firm and stiff. <em>Oh no, no, no!<em> She thought to herself, her makeup smeared eyelids fluttering open. This dark duvet cover was not hers, and nor were the heavy black blinds that covered the ceiling-to-floor windows. She rolled onto her side and eyed the sleeping form beside her. His hand lay over his bare, ivory skinned chest and his azure eyes were shut. She watched his chest rise and fall slowly, with his deep rhythmic breathing. Slowly, she pulled the thick duvet off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her head hammering, she looked to his end table for a clock.

"Fuck!" She whispered, hoarsely. It was nearing eleven-thirty. She started work at twelve. She padded over to the bathroom and splashed her face with water and cleaned up her makeup. In the mirrors reflection, she noticed her attire. A long, black t-shirt hung loosely from her body, cutting off halfway down her thighs. She rolled her eyes, trying to remember what they had gotten up to last night.

Drawing a blank, she combed her fingers through her dishevelled hair and tied it up in a high bun. She tiptoed back into his room, picking her clothes up off the floor. Back in the privacy of the bathroom, Mimi peeled the black t-shirt off over her head and put her white button down on. She could not wear her sequined shorts to work and she did not have enough time to go home to change. Thinking quickly, she snuck back to Matt's room and scanned the articles of clothing that littered the floor.

_Aha! _She picked up a pair of black sweat pants and slipped them on. She rolled the waistband over twice so they didn't slide down her slender body. Slipping on her black ankle boots and grabbing her purse she left the apartment not before scribbling a note for him on a notepad that lay on the kitchen counter.

The heel of her boots clicked on the hardwood floors of the main lobby, as she stalked out, rather shamefully to the car lot. She scanned the several cars that were parked in the lot and realized hers was not there. The club was not too far away; she could walk there and get her car. That would leave her only five minutes to get to work. But, what other choice did she have? A taxi would take too long to arrive and she did not want to go wake Matt up. So, in her heeled boots and stolen sweat pants, she broke out into a run down the streets of Tokyo.

-x-

Tai Kamiya woke up in his old bedroom. The décor had not changed much since he was eleven. The same soccer posters were tacked to the cerulean blue walls and a collage of photos was taped over his bed, acting as a headboard. The pictures had been taken during the last ten years of his life. Photos from 'camp', class photos, soccer team pictures and various candid's his mother had taken during birthday parties or get-togethers. Amongst the photographs, there were other souvenirs from his past. A ticket from when his mother and younger sister Kari forced him to go along to the Spice Girls concert, stubs from riding down the Odaiba line with Sora and Mimi and of course, hanging on protruding nail, his crest of Courage.

Looking at this wall was somewhat bittersweet. It helped to remind him everyday of all the fun and adventure he had encountered in life thus far. But, on the other hand, looking at these memories pulled at his heartstrings. Sure, the adventures in the _Digital World _were long over, but did their friendships have to fizzle out as well? He spoke with Matt daily and saw Sora every once in a while, but what about Joe, Izzy and Mimi? He had Joe and Izzy's email addresses, yet he never bothered to make contact. And Mimi? She lived in Odaiba and the only time he ever saw her was briefly at Sora's birthday parties or if he ever stopped by the bookstore, which seldom occurred.

He tore his eyes away from the wall of memories and met his family in the kitchen. His sister Kari, two years his junior stood over the stove, cracking an egg into the sizzling frying pan.

"Morning, Tai!" She said cheerfully, prodding the egg with a spatula. "Omelette?" She asked, signalling to the pan she held before her.

"With hot sauce, please." He sat up on a stool and rested his elbows on the counter as his mother walked in from the front door.

"Oh, you're awake!" She said, as soon as she spotted Tai. She held a brown, paper bag of groceries to her chest. "I bought fresh bread and some sausages," She sat the bag on the kitchen table and emptied out its contents. "I'll just fry these up," she said looking at the sausage packaging. "Hmm, these aren't very healthy… Perhaps I can whip up some sort of…"

Mrs. Kamiya was cut off by both of her children shouting _NO!_ She blinked her eyes at the two, confused.

"Mom," Tai said, spinning the seat of the stool around to look at her, "Please don't ruin what would be a rare good meal by trying to add some _nutritional value_." Kari nodded her head in agreement.

"Sorry, Mom" the brunette daughter said, placing the omelette down before her brother. "Your healthy recipes are terrible! No offense!"

Mrs. Kamiya wrinkled her forehead, "Well then, if I'm such a terrible cook than maybe I should start practising!" She took her car keys from beside the grocery bag. "I'm going to go to the bookstore and pick up some cookbooks."

_The bookstore? _Tai thought to himself.

"Wait!" Tai said, his mouth full of egg. His mother raised an eyebrow. "Lemme go," He shovelled the remaining omelette into his mouth and grabbed his car keys. "Kari's making you breakfast, I'll pick out some good books for you. My treat."

-x-

"Is that all you need for today?" Mimi asked. She had been helping a woman find the latest Nicholas Sparks novel. The woman nodded her head of brunette curls and thanked Mimi for her time and help.

As Mimi walked on, she adjusted the baggy pants around her hips, rolling the waistband over a third time. She walked over to the children's section, where she was stationed to work that day and as she did, a figure emerged from the shelves of cooking books. It took her only a second to register who he was. Although she had not seen him in what felt like decades, there was no mistaking that mess of sky high, brown hair.

He stopped just before her, a goofy lopsided grin etched on his face; he cocked his head to the side. "Mimi Tachikawa," he said.

"Hey!" She said, as he went in for a sideways hug. "How are you?" she asked. His arm was still wrapped around her shoulder.

"I'm good, I'm good," His smile was still in place. "I'm happy to be out of school for the summer, though. What about you?" They were walking now, his arm still around her.

"I'm doing well," She said. "Just been working, I didn't end up going to school this year."

His eyebrows were knit, "Why not?" She explained her reasoning, not feeling ready to choose what she wanted to do and how she had moved out on her own and needed to work.

"Aww, little Meems is growing up," He joked, pulling her slightly closer into him. She could not ignore how comfortable this all felt.

"Speaking of growing up," she eyed the few cookbooks he cradled against his hip, "Is Taichi Kamiya finally learning how to cook?"

"Hey! I can cook…" He started, getting slightly defensive.

"I would hardly count _charcoal _a meal," She countered, fondly remembering Tai's cooking skills (or lack thereof) at 'camp'.

"My skills have improved greatly since then and I must say," He looked down at her mismatched ensemble, smirking, "so has your fashion sense."

"Oh, shut up," she slapped his arm playfully. "I was running late and I couldn't find anything else." She yanked the bagging sweatpants up once more.

"Nah, you look cute. Better than that awful pink hat and dress you used to wear,"

She rolled her eyes, "Do not even go there, Kamiya!" She warned, "What about your goggles? Expected to be going on a deep sea adventure?"

The playful bickering continued up to the front of the store, where Tai lined up to pay for his mothers cookbooks. She stood alongside him at the cash, urging the cashier to give him her employee discount.

"Meems, you didn't have to do that, though I'm glad you did. These cookbooks are fucking expensive," Tai said, looking over the receipt.

She laughed, "No problem," They stood before the glass double doors. "I am going on my break now," She said, "If you wanna stay and maybe get a coffee?" She gestured to the coffee shop next door.

"I can't," he said, "I gotta get going." He looked down at her fallen expression, "but give me your number, we will get together some time, yeah?" She recited her number to him as he punched it into his phone. "It was great seeing you again, Mimi." He gave another hug, this time wrapping both his arms around her small, delicate form. "I'll be seeing you," he said, pulling open the doors and leaving, not before sending the Tai Kamiya patented smirk over his shoulder at her.

* * *

><p><strong>Tarts Wardrobe **Hiiii y'all! Long time no update (four days I believe!). I've been super busy with work and other things and in the upcoming daysI'm only going to get EVEN MORE busy! Yikes! I just whipped this up this morning, I have to leave for work soon so I couldn't make it that long and eventful! Who knows, maybe if I'm not too tired tonight I'll post an even better chapter! Thank you for reading and please review! I'm getting so many visitors but hardly any reviews! If you like it, drop me a line. Hey, if you hate it, drop me one too! Tell me how to improve!

As a side note, I live in Canada and have never been to Japan so I'm not sure how things are over there, but here in Canada drinking age is 19. So I apologize for any cultural mistakes and whatnot!

PS all you Michi fans, sorry this was such a short Mimi/Tai interaction. It'll get better! And to you Mimato fans, well don't hate me! Matt may be a douchebag, but I promise he's going to get a lot more deep and brooding and sexy and etc!

That's all for now xooxox


	7. Doors

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

__**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any recognizable brands/songs/lyrics/games/etc**

* * *

><p>He woke up alone. This kind of agitated him. Normally when he had women stay over night, he was sure to wake before them and sneak out of his apartment for the day. Taking the hint, the woman would leave (occasionally taking something with her) and never contact him again. That is how he liked it.<p>

But, this morning was different. He had planned to stay in, maybe even make her a coffee. But, she was gone. He rolled out of bed and walked out into the main room of the apartment. The counter top was still a mess. Crumbs from toast sprinkled here and there and an assortment of empty glass bottles lay on their sides, lucky not to have rolled away. However, amongst the mess of debris was a notebook. A notebook which was normally covered in a messy scrawl, or a rude illustration in ink by Jiro. However, when Matt's azure eyes fell onto the white page, it was unfamiliar loopy, cursive writing. Her writing.

_Sorry to have left without waking you,_

_Mimi_

Although it was merely seven words and a signature, Matt could not help but smile at what this meant. This was not like him with the other women. She cared.

-x-

The bookstore was very busy that day. When Mimi checked the watch around her wrist she was satisfied to see that the time had passed somewhat quickly. Her head stopped pounded around the time she had her third coffee and she was ready to go home and crash. She made her way to the staff break room, pulling her phone from her vest pocket as she did.

The blinking red light signalled she has messages to read, and quickly scanned through them. Several messages were from Sora, begging Mimi to divulge the previous nights events. There was a message from one of her girlfriends in America who was namedropping the celebrities she had met in a New York City club that night. She scrolled down, expecting the final message to be from Matt. However, it was from an unknown number.

_Hey Meems_

_Just texting you so you have my number, too._

_Sorry I couldn't hang out on your break. _

_Let me make it up to you?_

_Btw, it's Tai_

Smiling, Mimi quickly typed a reply and hit send.

-x-

It was only the middle of May and already on the streets below, people were walking around like zombies in the excruciating heat. Tai slumped on his family sofa, too hot to move. A wooden popsicle stick dangled from his mouth, chewed up and splinted. The icy cool treat long gone, but definitely not forgotten.

"Kariiiiiiiiii…" he whined.

"What?" snapped Kari, her head poking out from her bedroom.

"Can you get me another popsicle?"

The younger sibling scoffed. "No! Get it yourself!"

"Pleeeeeaseeeee…" He moaned.

Silence.

"It's too hot for me to move." He continued.

More silence.

"Kari? I'm begging you."

Nothing.

Sighing loudly, Tai peeled himself off the couch. His bare legs sticky on the hot leather seat. He slowly moved into the kitchen and stuck his head into the freezer, fishing for another treat.

He emerged a moment later with a purple popsicle and a small carton of ice cream. As he did, his mother appeared from the den.

"You're not really going to eat that whole tub of ice cream, are you?" she asked, watching as her first born dug a metal spoon into the carton. The contents were already quickly melting.

"Mhm." The spoon hung from his mouth as he unwrapped the popsicle. Alternating between spoonfuls of ice cream and licks on the popsicle, he took his place back on the couch.

"Your telephone is buzzing." came Mrs. Kamiya's voice.

"Mom, it's a cellphone. Not a telephone" Kari said, her head popping out from her room once more.

Mrs. Kamiya tossed the phone on the couch next to Tai, muttering something about not being a technology wiz under her breath.

Tai set his ice cream down and grabbed his phone and unlocked it. He clicked his inbox and read the newest message. It was from Mimi.

_What do you have in mind?_

He thought for a moment before sending back a reply.

_I'm thinking ice cream._

-x-

As Mimi crossed the bookshop's parking lot to her car, the late afternoon sun poured down on her. She almost instantly felt beads of sweat form on the back of her neck. She pulled open her car door and got inside. the interior felt like an oven and the leather seats were warm to her touch. Rolling down the windows (the air conditioning system was even more temperamental than the engine), she drove out of the parking lot.

Mimi had agreed to Tai's ice cream suggestion. She was going to go home and change and have a quick dinner before meeting him down at Seaside Park. She drove down the streets, feeling the warm breeze caress her face and the sweat rolling down her back soak her cotton button down top. Pulling into her designated parking spot, Mimi climbed the few flights of stairs to her apartment.

She threw her bag on the kitchen counter and went to her bathroom to undress. She peeled the dampened shirt off her back and pulled down the borrowed sweat pants. Folding them neatly, she sat them on the toilet seat and got into the shower.

-x-

On the opposite side of the Rainbow Bridge, Tai knocked madly on his apartment door. Upon leaving his family home, he had grabbed his old set of keys and could not get in. It took nearly twenty minutes of coaxing the concierge to let him inside the building. His fists were balled and pounded against the hardwood, but the sound of compact was no match for whatever was happening on the other side. He could hear a phone ringing, music blasting and the familiar sound of Jiro's _wahoo!'s _and_ oh yeah!'s _as he sat before a video game.

He knocked louder, kicking the door with his foot as well. "Come on you, assholes! Let me in!" he yelled, ignoring the menacing glares of their neighbour who had stuck her head out of her front door. Tai pulled out his phone and browsed his contact list and stopped on Matt's name and called. It went instantly to voice mail.

"Fuck!"

He tried his luck calling Jiro.

"Sup man, where are you?" Jiro's voice came like a Hallelujah chorus on the other end.

"I'm outside the fucking door. Just like I've been for the last fifteen years, knocking and waiting for your dumbs to open up!"

Jiro laughed.

"Woah, man! Calm yourself. Don't you have your keys?" he asked. Tai just knew he was still stationed on his spot on the couch.

"If I had my keys, I'd be in there beating the shit outta you!"

More laughter.

"Yeah, yeah I got it." giro switched his phone to the other ear. "Listen man, I was on World of Warcraft and I met this chick and she said she'd be willing to show you her tits for some weapons and shit. Want her screen name?"

Tai rolled his eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing? trying to get naked pictures online? Don't you have a girlfriend?" Tai asked, half disgusted and half amused.

"No, man! Kimiko provides me with all the pictures I need!" Jiro began. Tai rolled his eyes, and leaned his back against the door, he really did not want to hear where this was going. "So, I figured since Matt's hung up on this chick - man, I totally forgot her name… Abi? I think. No, maybe Mira? Hmm, it may have been Amanda… Anyways, Matt's got her, I got Kim and you have no one. So I thought-"

"So you thought I could use topless pics of a girl on World of Warcraft?" Tai cut in. "I would bet serious money that she isn't even a girl."

"Woah, now!" Jiro spoke, sounding appalled. "No blood elf would _ever _lie to Jiro the Great." In the background Tai could hear what sounded suspiciously like a running faucet.

"Jiro, are you taking a piss?"

"Guilty."

* * *

><p><strong>Tarts Wardobe **Hi I am back after being gone for sooo very long. I don't know if people are even interested in this anymore but if you are, this is dedicated to you! I did this quickly and didn't even read it over yet so I apologize for any stupid mistakes on my part. Enjoy!


	8. Swimming

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own digimon, etc etc.

* * *

><p>Tai emerged from his bedroom, showered and ready to go. He put on dark jeans and a loose black tee shirt. He grabbed his wallet and cellphone from the cluttered kitchen counter and pocketed them. He shot Jiro (whose eyes were still transfixed on the television screen) a goodbye and left their apartment.<p>

The sun was lowering in the sky, but the air still felt hot and sticky. Tai almost immediately regretted his decision to wear dark denim. He got into his jeep and set off for Mimi's apartment. As Tai drove over the Rainbow Bridge he could not help but notice how beautiful the bay below looked, sparkling with yellows and oranges from the setting sun. It was an almost nostalgic feel. Memories of him and his friends flooded back to him. They would spend hot summer days at the park, wasting away their allowances on ice creams or sodas. Then, the hot summer days became cool summer nights. He remembered how he had felt so grown up, being out at night without parental supervision (that is until Mrs. Kamiya came calling for him). The bridge was full of cars returning home from the city, so traffic was steady. Below them, Tai could see the Tokyo Water Taxi taking port and passengers flooding out.

-x-

Seven Years Earlier

_Twelve year old Tai Kamiya departed the water taxi. Somewhere in the crowd before him was his mother. He lagged behind, dragging his sneakered feet. _

_"Tai? Tai!" He heard his mothers voice ring out. He rolled his dark eyes back._

_"Over here, mom"_

_A second later his mothers face appeared, pushing past a swarm of people._

_"What's gotten into you?" She asked. "You're acting sluggish. I told you not to go to bed so late! Maybe I should take the computer out of you room-" She was getting all worked up._

_"It's nothing, mom" he said. He put a little spring into his step to try and convince her._

_But the truth was, there was something wrong. Something very wrong. He could not stop thinking about _her_. About her stupid pink hat, and her stupid pink dresses. When all was silent, he could hear her stupid laugh. When he closed his eyes, he could see her stupid face. _

_Tai Kamiya had a crush._

_Now, this may not seem like a big deal but for a twelve year old boy it was catastrophic. He felt like his insides were squirming whenever she was near and his palms would grow clammy. When she looked his way, his face felt hot and when she would speak directly to him, he would stutter and stumble on his words. _

_He felt physically sick around her, so why did he never want to leave her side?_

_He walked alongside his mother down the boardwalk, mentally cursing Mimi Tachikawa and her stupid pink hat._

-x-

Present Day

Bringing the wand to her eyelashes, Mimi applied another coat of mascara. She stared at her reflection in the mirror before her. Her makeup was light and fresh. Her long hair was let down and draping down past her bare shoulders. She wore a strapless pink top, the fabric was light and flowing. Her smooth, pale legs were bare, minus the exception of a pair of white denim cut-off shorts. She slipped her feet into a pair of rubber flip-flops and crammed a light sweater into her purse.

From her bed, her phone vibrated, alerting her she had a new text message. Her eyes skimmed over the short message, Tai was waiting outside.

-x-

He felt… nervous.

He had parked the Jeep in the guest parking lot. They decided that they would walk over to the park. He sat down on the edge of the garden wall outside of the buildings revolving front door and texted Mimi, telling her he was there. Moments later, she responded with a _k._ and a smile. He drummed his fingers on his legs and scratched his head, messing up his hair, by habit. The door opened, and he looked up. It was an elderly couple. He put his head back down, tracing designs onto his leg with his index finger. He was so concentrated on his leg, he did not notice Mimi standing just behind him. He continued moving his finger over his jeans, until he heard a small giggle.

He quickly stood up and turned to face her.

"Hey!" she said, waving her hand.

He looked her over and felt the need to try and stop his jaw from dropping. She was stunning. Even in her casual summer clothes, he could not help but marvel at her. Unlike him, her skin was almost a milky white except for her cheeks, which were rosy and pink. Her eyes were sparkling and framed with a curtain of thick, dark lashes. Her lips were full and filled in with a bubblegum pink lipstick. Her hair, the colour of honey, caught the light from the setting sun and appeared almost golden.

Realizing he had yet to greet her in return, he flashed his award winning Tai Kamiya smile her way.

"Hey, Meems"

She leaned in for a hug and he wrapped his arms around her small frame. He breathed in her scent, something fruity and cool. She let him go, and smiled up at him.

"Shall we get on, then?" She asked.

He nodded in agreement and the two set off.

It was quiet as they walked. The silence occasionally interrupted by the horn from the water taxi. Every so often, they would bump arms as they walked. He tried to brush it off, but he could not help but feel nervous. Here he was, nineteen years old and feeling just like his pathetic love sick twelve year old self.

"So," she broke the silence, thankfully. Another moment and it would have been _awkward silence _territory. "What are your plans for the summer?"

"I finished my exams last week," he said, looking ahead. "so I'm not doing much now. But, when the elementary schools let out for summer, I'm working at a soccer camp." He smiled at this. He loved this game more than anything. Even just talking about it made him feel much more at ease. "I'm also playing in Tokyo University's summer soccer league," his smile was more broad now. "I'm the centre midfielder."

She playfully slapped his arm.

"Oh, mister big soccer stud over here!" she laughed.

"No autographs, please" Tai joked, trying to ignore her laughter. It was a beautiful melody inside his head.

"But, really!" she said, "that's so great! You'll be outside, while I'm stuck in the book shop all summer long." She whined, pouting her full lips at him.

"Maybe if you're lucky, I'll rescue you from time to time." He winked at her. "You know, for health reasons. You're looking a little pasty, Meems."

"Tai!" She cried, feigning offence. "I'll have you know, that I like being pale! I think it suits me!"

"Come on, you know I'm joking!" he offered her a smile. "You're perfect." He felt his cheeks glow a little red, and prayed she would not notice.

Yeah, right.

"Taichi Kamiya! Are you _blushing_! Is the famous soccer star embarrassed!"

He turned to her and wrinkled his nose.

"Psssht no" he said. "I'm just hot and burn easily." They had stopped in front of the small ice cream shop. There was a short line inside, that the two friends soon joined.

The frigid atmosphere of the ice cream shop felt great on their hot bodies. Mimi breathed in the smell of freshly made ice cream cones and sighed.

Tai had his nose pressed up against the glass, looking down at all the flavours and mumbling the names under his breath. Mimi leaned down and put her lips towards his ear.

"What are you gonna get?" Her breath felt warm on his ear. Goosebumps arose on his arm, something he knew had nothing to do with the shops cool temperature.

He stood upright and turned to look at her. She was nearly a foot shorter than him.

"There are too many choices," his voice was sad. "It's disconcerting," he pulled a frown and made a face as if he was going to cry. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"What can I get you two?" The man behind the counter asked. He had a familiar face and Tai remembered him from high school. He was a year or two younger than the pair.

Tai looked at Mimi, she gestured for him to go first. She hadn't decided yet.

"I'll get two scoops of chocolate on a waffle cone, please"

He watched as the guy behind the counter got to work. He scooped out a perfectly round ball of chocolate ice cream and dropped it into a cone. He scooped out a second and stacked it on top and handed it to Tai. Tai said his thanks and immediately got to licking the chocolatey dessert.

"And for you, gorgeous?" the shop employee winked at Mimi and Tai felt the sudden urge to wrap his arms around her shoulders, protectively. He gave the younger boy a look of disgust. Mimi took no notice.

"Can I have one scoop of strawberry on a waffle cone, please?" she asked sweetly.

"You can have whatever you like," he winked at her a second time, causing Tai to roll his eyes back.

He scooped out a single scoop and dropped it into a waffle cone. He handed it to Mimi. She said thank-you and made a move to pull her wallet from her purse.

"I got it, I got it," Tai said waving her off. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and fished for exact change.

"Thanks, Tai" she said, smiling. "That was really sweet of you," They left the ice cream shop and continued walking down the park.

"No worries," They walked in silence for a few minutes, each licking their ice creams trying to stop them from melting down the cone.

"Wanna sit down?" She asked, gesturing to the sandy beach just off the walkway.

He nodded in agreement, and they stepped off the pavement. He watched as Mimi slipped her feet from her flip-flops, allowing her bare feet to feel the sand below and he did the same. They sat down near where the small waves crashed against the shore.

"Do you remember," Mimi started, between licks of her ice cream. "When we all came here on the last day of elementary school? You and Matt picked me up and threw me into the water." She was smiling slightly and he laughed, nodding his head. "I was so angry with you two!"

"I offer you my sincerest of apologies."

"I decline, you are about a million years too late."

-x-

The two sat there, for hours just talking and reminiscing. Their ice creams long gone. Soon enough, the park grew deserted as the sky grew dark. It was just the two of them left. The water before them looked dark, but welcoming. Mimi looked at him, raising her eyebrow. She cocked her head towards the water, smiling almost mischievously.

"What?" Tai asked, unsure if he had mistaken her. Did she want to go in?

"Come on!" She said, standing up and brushing the sand from the bottom of her shorts. "Let's go in!" She was grabbing his arm in attempt to pull him upright.

"We didn't bring swimsuits." He said shortly and she dropped his arm.

"We don't _need _ swimsuits." He could really hear the mischief in her voice this time. He looked up at her. His eyes almost bulged from their sockets. His gaze was met by her bare stomach. She dropped her shirt onto the sand. He looked up at the curve of her breasts, covered by a strapless, pale green bra. She looked down at him, sitting in the stand staring up at her and she laughed.

"Tai, you are such a _guy_."

It took all of his will power to look away from her. From the corner of his eye, he could see her unbuttoning her shorts and pulling them down her legs. He underwear were a pale green, matching her bra perfectly. He could feel himself harden slightly beneath his jeans. She walked towards the water and slowly waded in. When the water was up to her hips, she turned back towards him.

"Fuck! It's cold!" Her laugh echoed back towards him, like a siren in the quiet night. He watched as she walked further and further in. Just her white shoulders and head were visible now.

"Are you going to join me, or are you too scared?" She called out. She was challenging him.

Tai stood up and pulled his tee shirt over his head, it landed in a heap on the ground where Mimi's clothes lay. He pulled his jeans down, and tugged them off over his feet.

Tai Kamiya was never one to back down from a challenge.

* * *

><p><strong>Tarts Wardrobe **I want summer to come so badly :( Haha, I hope you've enjoyed some Mimi/Tai action there and hope you enjoyed the chapter as well! Drop me a review, I'd love to hear your opinions. xo


	9. Like a Virgin

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own digimon, etc etc.

* * *

><p>He waded into the water. He was knee-deep now and could feel the goosebumps erupt on his chest and arms.<p>

"Are you going to get in here or what?" Mimi Tachikawa called out, a playful smile on her face. The sky and the water were dark and her pale skin was practically glowing. "Come on, Kamiya! Get your butt in here!"

He smiled and walked further into the water towards her.

"It is fucking cold." Tai said, the water was up to his shoulders now. His voice was raspy and quivering slightly from the cold.

Mimi laughed, "I know, I feel like a Meems-sicle!" She tiptoed closer to him, the water was too deep for her to stand her feet flat against the pebbly bottom. Tai's arms were crossed over his chest, shaking. Mimi brought her hands up to the sides of his arms and rubbed them, trying to warm him up. "Is this working?" She laughed. "You're shaking so badly!" Although the water was freezing, Tai couldn't help but notice how warm her hands were. He smiled at how determined she look, her eyebrows furrowed as she continued rubbing her hands over his upper arm.

"Yeah, it's working." He spoke softly. Mimi rested her hands on his broad shoulders and looked up at him. She could feel him leaning in towards her. The space between them slowly disappearing until their lips almost met. Before he could lean in just a bit further, she dunked her head under the water. Tai straightened himself up and looked down at the waters surface. He could see her honey coloured hair swirling around in the dark water. He watched, more amused than he was annoyed that she avoided the potential lip lock session, as bubbles from her breath broke the surface. Finally the crown of her head emerged, and second after the quiet night was filled with her squeals.

"S-so f-freez-zing!" Her teeth were chattering like mad. Tai laughed at her. Her eye makeup was smudged around her eyes. He brought a finger up to her eyelashes and wiped away water droplets, as though they were dew drops on the green grass. She smiled up at him, although she avoided his kissing attempt she did feel incredibly happy to be there with him. She grabbed his hand and lead him towards the shore. "Lets go."

-x-

It was almost two am when Tai made his way back to the apartment. After Mimi had lead him out of the water, the two got dressed and made their way over to the 24-hour Sushi bar on the pier. They spent the rest of the night drinking Sake and eating spicy salmon rolls and watching groups of drunken friends make fools of the themselves singing karaoke. One particular group of boys singing Madonna's _Like a Virgin_ made Mimi laugh so hard that she had tears rolling down her face.

He unlocked the door, not surprised to see Jiro and Matt still awake playing video games. Tearing his eyes away from the screen, Jiro asked where Tai had been all afternoon.

"Just hanging out… with Kari." He wasn't sure why he lied. He headed towards his bedroom and felt his iPhone vibrating in his jeans pocket. He pulled it out to see a message from Mimi. It was just a website addresses. He clicked onto it and laughed. It was the music video to _Like a Virgin._

-x-

Mimi woke up at about eleven a.m. It was her day off so she was able to sleep in. She grabbed her phone and turned it on. She had several missed calls. she played back her voice mail and smiled.

"Meems! Call me!" It was Sora. She played back the other messages. They were all from Sora. Varying from "Can you please call me?" to "You better fucking call me soon you evil whore". She laughed and dialled her friends number. After a few rings, Sora picked up.

"FINALLY!" She shouted."Where were you all night? Clueless was on t.v and I had red velvet cupcakes, you selfish bitch! Were you boinking Matt?!"

"Boinking?" Mimi laughed. "No, we didn't _boink_! I was at Seaside Park."

"With Matt?"

"No, not with Matt…" For some reason, Mimi hesitated to tell Sora that she was with Tai. "I was with Tai… Kamiya." Mimi bit her lip waiting for Sora's response.

After a minute of silence - "Oh my God! Did you boink Tai!"

"No! Nothing happened! We just hung out. Like friends." This seemed to satisfy Sora as she quickly changed the subject.

"Meems, I am not sure if you realize this but it is ALMOST my 19th birthday, so what are we going to do about that? We need to plan something." Mimi walked out of her bedroom into her apartments main living area. She settled herself down on a cozy arm chair, tucking her legs underneath her. Sora kept suggesting party ideas, but before Mimi could give any input Sora would change her mind.

"What about going down to Crash? Wait, no. I don't feel very clubby. How about just a nice dinner? No, actually that's not very fun…" She went on and on, until she finally decided "House party! Yes, that's it! When was the last time you've been to a house party? Probably not since high school, right? Perfect! I'm coming over to plan! See you soon!" and she clicked off the phone.

-x-

It was nearly half an hour later when Sora came barging through Mimi's front door, as if it were her own home. "Meems?" she called out.

"I'm just getting dressed. Be out in a sec!"

Sora sat down on a barstool and rested her elbows on the kitchen counter and flipped through the latest edition of _Cosmopolitan_. "Will you bake cupcakes? The ones you made for your birthday were scrumptious."

Mimi emerged from her bedroom, tying her hair up in a high ponytail. "Sure. When is this party happening?" She opened the fridge and pulled out a basket of strawberries and sat them down on the kitchen counter. Sora dug in.

"Friday, or is that too soon?" Sora asked through a mouth full of strawberries. "We can just text everyone now. You can even invite your two boy toys." She winked.

"Ha-ha."

Sora was typing out a message on her phone. "Done!" A moment later Mimi's phone vibrated against the countertop.

_Hey Everyone! It's my 19th!  
><em>

_Party my apartment Friday night - 9:30 pm!_

_Alcohol will be provided!_

_xo Sor_

* * *

><p><strong>Tarts Wardrobe **Hi! I know I haven't updated in over a year (!) Oops! Sorry if you were reading this fic last year and waited for a new chapter. Once again - OOPS! I'm going to be updated this more frequently now - hopefully some of you are still interested! I also apologize if this chapter was slightly boring and I also apologize if there are any spelling or grammatical errors - DON'T YELL AT ME PLEASE. Okay bye! xo

**Chapter Soundtrack/ **_Like a Virgin - _Madonna


	10. Heatwave

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own digimon, etc etc.

* * *

><p>The days following up to Sora's birthday party went by very slowly. Mimi had long shifts at the bookstore everyday and when she was not working she was running errands with Sora to ensure they had everything they needed for Friday's festivities. It was only the first day of June and already there was a recording breaking heatwave that clouded over the island of Odaiba. Mimi could feel the beads of sweat forming on the back of her neck as she and Sora walked along the crowded streets. It was so hot out that one could practically see the heat radiating off of the stone slab sidewalks.<p>

The two girls were walking over to the supermarket to pick up some snacks and baking supplies for the party tomorrow night. It was Sora who suggested they get some fresh air and walk rather than drive, despite Mimi's constant protesting - ("Come on, Sor! You know how bitchy I get when I'm too hot!") It was only with a few minutes of coaxing and the promise to buy her friend an ice cream cone, that Sora finally got Mimi to agree.

She tied her hair up in a high ponytail and fanned herself with her hand. "I know you need more party stuff but couldn't this wait until a little later tonight? You know, when it's not about a million degrees out?" Mimi whined.

"Honestly, Meems" Sora laughed, she had barely broken a sweat all day. "I used to play soccer and tennis in temperatures hotter than this and I hardly ever complained." She smiled widely. "Besides, it's not like it's _that _hot out here!"

Mimi scoffed. "My shirt is absolutely soaked with sweat and my legs are so sweaty my shorts are practically glued to my ass!" It wasn't often that this happened, but Mimi looked like a hot mess. She glared at Sora enviously. Her best friend looked cool and her clothes weren't stuck to her with sweat. "My face feels so hot you could probably fry an egg on me!" Sora shot her a look. "Okay, so what, maybe I am exaggerating but this heat is making me crazy!"She was always one for dramatics.

They reached the supermarket and Mimi swung open the doors and breathed a sigh of relief. Inside the supermarket the air was frigid. "That's better," Mimi sighed. She grabbed a shopping cart and followed Sora down the aisles.

-x-

Nearly one hundred dollars of chips, cupcake baking supplies and an ice cream for Mimi later, the two girls left the supermarket carrying their groceries.

"Is it possible that it got even hotter out here?" Mimi asked, shielding her cinnamon coloured eyes from the sun. Sora gave her a look as if to say "_don't start!_" They slowly walked back up the crowded streets. It was nearing lunch time now, and it seemed like everybody was off work for their lunch break. Business men in full suits walked around slowly, like zombies, loosening their ties and women were constantly fanning themselves and trying to reach the nearest shady area as quick as possible. The girls decided they would stop for lunch to try and get away from the heat, if even just for a little bit. Even Sora had beads of sweat forming above her brow.

They stopped in a small cafe that thankfully, as Mimi pointed out, had air conditioning. They had just settled down in their seats and began looking over the menu when Sora's phone began ringing from her bag. She fished it out (after a minute of searching - seriously, how much stuff did she keep in there?) and answered the call.

"Hello?"

Mimi listened to Sora has she let out a few _Mhm'_s and _Yeah_'s and then a loud _Really! _Sora cupped her hand over the speaker. "It's Izzy!" she said. She continued talking to him and finally hung up.

"Izzy got back in town today, he said he should be able to come tomorrow night."

Just as Mimi was about to respond, she heard a familiar voice. She looked up to see that head of perfectly messy blonde hair. As she was looking, he turned around and saw her and smiled. He finished paying for his food and walked over to the two girls.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," Mimi said, she suddenly felt self conscious about the way she looked. She hoped she no longer looked too sweaty. Her and Matt hadn't really spoken since she left his apartment without waking him. He had texted her once inviting her to go over to his one night, but Mimi declined as it was nearly eleven o'clock at night.

"Hey Ishida," Sora said. She stood up and gave Matt a hug. "Long time no see! I texted you the other day about my party tomorrow. Can you make it?"

Before Matt was able to respond, a group of boys made their way over to the table calling his name. Mimi recognized one of them as the drummer of Matt's band, the Teenage Wolves. There were another two boys she didn't recognize and then her eyes fell on Tai. He gave her a goofy, lopsided grin and waved at her.

"Hey, Tai!" She said cheerfully. He bent down and hugged her in her seat.

"Hey Sora!" He bent down and hugged the other girl. "Haven't seen you in a while. Are you working at the soccer camp this year?" The two soccer fanatics began discussing their favourite sport and their plans for the summer. Mimi could not help but feel a slight pang of jealousy towards Sora. Tai and Sora got along famously. Even though they hardly spoke anymore, when they were together it was almost as if they had never spent any time apart. Throughout elementary school and the years following that fateful summer at _camp_, the two remained pretty good friends. The duo even dated at one point during eleventh grade. However, after a week of constant arguing (mainly about soccer, mind you) and one can of coke poured over Tai's head (he made a comment about her hairstyle), the two called it quits. The relationship, in Sora's words was a "momentary lapse of judgement". Tai plead temporary insanity. Whatever you called it, all of their friends knew the relationship was doomed from the start. The two were better off being just friends.

As Mimi half-listened to what Sora and Tai were discussing (the words _hand ball _and _hat trick_ were being used quite a bit), she could feel Matt's eyes on her. She looked up to meet his gaze, but he immediately turned away to look over at Tai.

"Kamiya are you coming?" The other three boys were already out the cafe door.

Tai stood up to follow Matt and the others out the door. "I guess I'll see you both at Sora's party tomorrow night?" He asked both girls but he was looking directly at Mimi.

Sora nodded. "Yeah! See you then, Kamiya!"

Mimi smiled and gave a small wave goodbye "See you."

Sora's eyes followed the boys out the cafe door into the sweltering heat. Once they were out of her line of vision she turned back towards Mimi. "Huh."

Mimi raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"So, that was kinda weird, wasn't it?" Sora asked.

Mimi had absolutely no idea what she was talking about and set her menu down. "What was weird?"

"Matt paid no attention to you. Aren't you two like-" Sora began, but Mimi cut her off.

"We aren't _anything_." Though, Sora did have a point. He had not shown her any attention, nor did he say goodbye. Mimi was not the type of person to obsess over some guy, or read too much into someones actions. He hadn't said goodbye to Sora either. Maybe that was just Matt being… well, Matt. But then again, Sora hadn't spent a drunken night with Matt, nor had they clumsily made out on his leather couch after playing some random video game that she sucked at. Before she could read more into Matt's behaviour, Sora spoke again.

"Anyways, who cares about Ishida when you have Kamiya."

"What do you mean?"

Sora sighed dramatically. "Did you not notice Tai making googley eyes at you while we were talking? He kept looking over at you!"

Had he been? Mimi didn't notice, but she couldn't help but be secretly thrilled. Did Tai have a crush on her? She felt silly using the term _crush_, if even in her head. He had tried to kiss her after all. Did she and Tai share the same feelings for one another? But, then there was Matt. Dark and brooding Matt, who as Sora helpfully pointed out, did not pay her an ounce of attention just now. Maybe he was shy? Matt was a lot of things, but shy did not exactly describe him. Mimi could not help but notice that Matt had only ever really asked her to hang out at the last minute. The few times they did hang out, she ended up drunk and making not exactly the best of decisions. Her feelings towards Matt felt like a middle school crush (_ugh_ she hated that word). He was - for lack of a better word - hot. She felt self-conscious around him, and a little bit shy - so unlike her. And she knew he wasn't exactly the best guy to be with, but she couldn't help but pray he would give her some kind of attention. Like a lovesick puppy.

And then there was Tai. She felt completely at ease with him (and without the aid of alcohol). She knew that she couldn't pursue two boys. Two best friends, mind you. She would have to make up her mind.

A waiter appeared beside their table. His voice snapped Mimi out of her thoughts. "Have you ladies made up your mind?"

"Yes," Mimi said, handing over her menu. "I've made my choice."

* * *

><p><strong>Tarts Wardrobe** Hi everyone! I meant to get this chapter out yesterday but I ended up being super busy - so sorry about that! Anyways, I don't really like this chapter, but I figured I needed to write about Mimi's feelings towards the two boys. So, I guess you could say this is more of a "filler" chapter. The next chapter, which I will be working on today (hopefully from the comfort of my backyard - it's been sooo warm here!) will include Sora's party and lots of shenanigans!

I also want to apologize if my writing is kind of... bad? I haven't written fan fiction in so long! I feel like these past two chapters have been super boring but I'm going to make it up with the next few - PROMISE!

Also, on a completely random note: does warm, summery weather make anyone else want to watch Digimon? Every year when the weather starts getting warmer I have this crazy urge to re-watch seasons one and two (lets be honest, those were the best seasons). I feel like after I write the next chapter I'm just going to lounge around and start season one.

And finally! Thanks to those who have stuck with me even after the long hiatus. You guys rule!

xo Emily


	11. We Like, We Like to Party

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any recognizable brands/songs/lyrics/etc**

* * *

><p>Mimi awoke the next morning after a nearly sleepless night, mainly due to Sora. The redheaded companion had called Mimi several times during the night to discuss tonights party. Sora thought the party needed to have a theme, so she had called Mimi for ideas - at one a.m. At about two-thirty a.m she called again to see what Mimi thought about a 90's theme. Mimi sleepily told Sora that a 90's theme was a great idea. At about two thirty-five, Sora sent out a mass text message to her contact list.<p>

_THE PARTY IS 90'S THEMED.  
><em>_GET YOUR PLATFORM SHOES AND WINDBREAKERS OUT!  
><em>_BE PREPARED TO DANCE TO THE SPICE GIRLS ALL NIGHT LONG!  
><em>_xo Sor_

Around four a.m, Sora called yet again. This time to discuss wardrobe. "Would it be too much if I wore my Union Jack dress and red, patent leather platform boots?" She asked. Mimi laughed, despite her desperate desire to fall back asleep. She agreed that she would meet Sora a few hours before the party to ensure everything was prepared and to pick out their 90's inspired outfits. Sora promised that anything else could wait to be discussed at a decent hour. But, when Mimi's cellphone rang at five-fifteen a.m, she could not help but be a little bit snarky.

"Honestly, what do you want _now_?" She complained into the phone.

"Hello, Mimi." The deep, manly voice was definitely not Sora.

"D-dad?" Mimi sat upright, confused as to why her father was calling her. She hadn't spoken more than five words to her parents in over a year. She had absolutely no interest in speaking with him, and she was about to tell him exactly that. But, what if something terrible had happened? Why else would he be calling? "Is everything okay?" She asked. She was worried what his answer might be.

"Yes, everything is fine." Her father said, and she sighed with relief. Although she wasn't exactly on speaking terms with her parents, she wouldn't know what to do if something bad had happened to either one of them. "How is everything with you?" This was unlike her father. He hadn't bothered asking how she was since she left home last year. "Have you given any thought as to what you would like to do for school this coming September? Or have you been to busy working at that silly bookshop? What a ridiculous idea that was! Working in a stupid little store making pocket money when you could have been at University for business like we had originally planned." That was more like him.

"No, dad. That is what _you _planned." She looked at her alarm clock. "And why exactly did you have to call me at five a.m? Couldn't you belittle me and let me know how much I've disappointed you at a more convenient hour?" She hissed.

"I'm back in New York City and it is only four p.m here. I called you when it was convenient for _me_. You may not have realized this yet, Mimi, but the world does not revolve around you or your schedule." He replied angrily. She could tell he was beginning to lose his temper. "And I am not belittling you. As for being disappointed in you… you definitely got that right. I thought your mother and I raised you better than this. I don't know where you got this wild idea of not going to school, but if you want to be apart of this family then you better smarten up."

Mimi laughed. "I haven't been apart of your perfect family for over a year now. You were sure to make that very clear last year. Goodbye." She ended the call and tossed the phone back onto her nightstand. It landed with a loud _thud! _She laid back down in bed and tried to fall back asleep. The conversation with her father, if she could even call him that, kept replaying in her mind. She didn't see what the big deal was. She took a year off and worked. She was able to provide for herself and she earned everything she that had by working hard. Most parents would be happy with that. She thought about calling Sora to rant to her best friend about her ass of a father, but she figured Sora would have fallen asleep by now. She would just text her. She had just began typing when her phone vibrated in her hands, signalling a new message. It was from Tai.

_Hi Meems! I know it's 5:30 am but I'm just waking up to go for a run. I got Sora's message about the 90's theme.  
><em>_Do you think I could pull off a blonde wig and dress as Nick Carter? I remember you being the president of his fan club haha.  
><em>_Anyways, I'll see you later!_

She laughed at the thought of Tai dressing up as Nick Carter and quickly typed back a response.

_Sorry Tai, not many people can pull off the frosted tips!  
><em>_Back to the drawing board for you!_

Mimi and Tai spent the next hour on the phone to each other, coming up with costume ideas for one another. Tai, being the guy that he is, suggested Mimi be Pamela Anderson in _Baywatch_. He asked her what she was doing awake so early. She told him briefly about the phone call from her father and everything he had said to her. Tai was incredibly supportive. He told her that he admired Mimi for sticking with her decision and doing what she felt was right for her. She knew that if she had spoken to Sora about it that Sora would have said something along the same lines. However, hearing it come from Tai just felt… better. She steered the conversation in another direction and asked him if he went running every morning.

"Usually, yeah!" He answered. "It gets way too hot during the day to run. I told you I'm playing in Tokyo University's summer soccer league right? We start practising on Monday, so I wanna make sure I'm in shape." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and if you're interested we're looking for cheerleaders! Tokyo U doesn't have their own squad so they're holding auditions. Just to cheer for their summer league. I know you used to cheer in high school." Cheering was definitely something Mimi was interested in. She loved to cheer, ever since she was younger. It was something she was passionate about. If she were to go to school eventually, she would only consider schools that had a squad. She asked Tai when and where the auditions were being held. He said they were held this Monday at the University where his practise was being held. They decided that on Monday she would go pick Tai up and they would head over to the university together.

They said their goodbyes, and it a much better mood, Mimi fell back asleep.

-x-

Mimi got out of bed and walked into her bathroom. From the window she could see that it was another beautiful and sunny day. She stood in front of her bathroom mirror and gasped at her reflection. Her shoulders and chest were sunburnt a scarlet red, a major contrast to her milk white skin. Bringing a hand to her shoulder, she winced. Her skin felt hot and sore. She rummaged through her cabinets, looking for some aloe vera to soothe the burns.

"_Aha!_" Mimi pulled the green plastic bottle out from underneath her hair dryer and squeezed the green gel onto her hands. The gel stung on contacts but it was the good kind of pain. The type of pain that came with some degree of relief. She rubbed the gel in smooth circles over her shoulders and chest. The coolness of the aloe felt soothing on her hot skin. She would definitely wear sunscreen today.

It was almost eleven o'clock a.m, so Mimi decided to get started on the cupcakes for Sora's party. Sora asked (actually, she demanded) that Mimi bake about fifty red velvet cupcakes. She pulled all of the ingredients out of her kitchen cabinets and refrigerator and got to work. She measured, sifted, mixed and occasional tested the batter before setting them in the oven. She only had two 12-cup cupcake pans, so she would have to bake half now and the second half when the first batch was done. While she waited for the cupcakes to finish, she got started on the last part of Sora's birthday gift.

-x-

With the cupcakes cooling on a wire rack, Mimi decided she would head over to the park to see Sora who would no doubt be at the tennis court practising. She quickly got dressed, not before slathering herself with SPF 50, in a pair of denim cut-off shorts and white, loose-fitting t-shirt and made her way downstairs.

The weather that day could not have been anymore different than the day prior. It was no longer sweltering hot and muggy outside, it was still warm out but also fresh. Every once in a while a cool breeze would pass that sent chills up the back of Mimi's neck. The heatwave was over.

When Mimi reached the park, she could see the bright red hair of her best friend from a mile away. Sora was in the tennis court alone with the tennis ball machine. As the highlighter green balls shot out of the device, Sora ran and swung her racket, not missing a single one. Mimi wrapped her hands around the black chain link fence and leaned forward to watch her friend dance around the court. She was wearing the cute, white tennis dress that Mimi had given her for Christmas last year.

"Hey, birthday girl!" Mimi called out, once the machine had stopped spitting out tennis balls. Sora spun around and smiled widely.

"Enjoy the show?" She jokingly curtseyed. Mimi headed over to the court entrance and ran to gave Sora a hug.

"My little girl is growing up so fast!" She wiped a pretend tear from her eyes.

"I know, Mama! I'm practically a woman now!" Sora shouted, faking a southern accent. "Tell Papa to prepare my dowry! I'm sure a young suitor will be around any day now to give Papa several goats and a cow to take my hand in marriage!" Both girls laughed and began collecting the tennis balls that rolled around the court. "Oh! Did you bake my cupcakes? You better have, or there will be hell to pay!" Sora joked.

"They're cooling off as we speak and ready to be frosted, my birthday queen!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Sora linked arms with Mimi and the two made their way out of the court. It was just after two p.m now. Sora told the party guests to arrive at 9:30. That gave Mimi more than enough time to go back home, frost the cupcakes, shower and make her way over to Sora's to decorate and get ready. Sora had in face decided to dress up as Ginger Spice for the party. She already had a Union Jack dress, much like Geri Halliwell's from when she and Mimi dressed as the Spice Girls for Halloween back in tenth grade. Sora had convinced Mimi to dress up as Baby Spice for the night, so their costumes were settled.

They made their way up the stairs to Mimi's apartment. Sora would shower while Mimi frosted the cupcakes to save time. Mimi unlocked the door and the two girls entered. Sora scooped up Rocky and cuddled him. Mimi went into her bedroom and came back a moment later with two beautifully wrapped gifts. Sora excitedly sat down on an armchair and took the gifts. She opened the card first and read the lengthly message Mimi had written inside.

"You're going to make me cry!" Sora shouted, setting the card aside. Mimi laughed and watched Sora tear through the pink wrapping paper of the first gift. With the wrapping paper torn to shreds, a glossy pink box remained on Sora's lap.

"Open it!" Mimi urged. She watched excitedly as Sora removed the lid from the box. Inside was a thick scrapbook that Mimi had made. The front cover was made from heavy card stock that was striped with pale pink and green. In the middle, there was a photograph of Sora and Mimi taken one day while the girls were riding on the Water Cruise. Underneath the picture, in bold, swirly cursive, Mimi had written _Best Friends Forever_.

Mimi sat down on the arm of Sora's chair as they flipped through the pages. Stopping every once in a while to retell the stories of the pictures plastered on the pages. Mimi had been working on the scrapbook since just after Christmas. Every page was immaculately decorated. Though the book was filled mostly with pictures, Mimi had also glued in concert tickets to the Spice Girls concert they both attended with their mothers years prior (They saw Tai at the concert and never let him live it down). She wrote down special memories the two of them shared on each page, usually about their time at "camp". Sora laughed at a particularly attractive photo of herself from eighth grade - bubblegum pink lipstick and braces were not a good look for her.

-x-

Looking through the old photographs and reading about old memories filled Sora up with a sort of happy nostalgia. She was sad that they would never be so young and carefree again, and she was even sadder that their adventures in the Digital World were long over, but at least she still had Mimi. Through everything, the two remained the best of friends. While everyone else from their circle of friends slowly fell apart, the two girls always stuck by one another and for that Sora was eternally grateful.

When they came to the last page of the scrapbook, Sora could not longer hold in her tears. She laughed as the droplets made their way down her cheeks. "Now you've actually made me cry!" She wrapped her arms around Mimi in a tight embrace. "Thank you so much! This is the best gift imaginable." She whispered into her friends hair. Mimi smiled to herself, she was fighting back tears as well. Seeing Sora cry _always_ made Mimi want to start crying.

"Okay! Okay! Enough crying!" Mimi wiped at her eyes. "Open your next present!" She shoved the smaller box onto Sora's lap. The box was wrapped in pale blue wrapping paper. "Now, don't get mad about how expensive this way or may not have been! It's your nineteenth birthday, I had to go all out!"

Sora tore off the wrapping to find herself looking down at a sleek, black and white Marc Jacobs box. "Meems…" Sora began. This was too much.

"No! Don't even say anything! Just open it!"

Sora opened the box and unfolded the tissue paper inside. She gasped when she saw what Mimi had bought for her. It was the classic, zip around Marc Jacobs wallet in electric blue leather. Sora had her eye on it for ages. She ran her finger over the gold nameplate. "Meems you shouldn't have! This must have cost-"

"No!" Mimi cut her off. "I don't want to hear it!" She stuck her two index fingers in her ears dramatically. "Theres also something inside the wallet for you!" Sora unzipped the wallet gently. She was always this way with nice things - incredibly cautious. She pulled out a cassette tape and raised her eyebrow at Mimi. "No nineties party is complete without a mix tape!" Mimi said excitedly. "I spent like, all morning recording songs from YouTube onto there!" She counted off on her fingers. "It's got Hanson, No Doubt, Back Street Boys, Len, Blink-182… basically all the best songs of the nineties!"

Sora smiled widely. "You're the best friend ever, do you know that?"

"I know!"

-x-

It was later on that evening now and Mimi and Sora both stood in front of the mirror in Sora's bathroom. They had just finished decorating Sora's apartment. Furniture from the main room had been temporarily moved into Sora's mothers room in order to make space for dancing. On the kitchen counter, the girls had set up several bowls of chips and pretzels. Mimi's red velvet cupcakes came out beautifully, and were being displayed on a several two-tiered cake stands that she found while scouring secondhand shops and antique sales. The fridge was stocked with alcohol and sodas and juices for mixing. Neat stacks of pink, plastic solo cups were available on almost every surface. In the centre of the kitchen, was a large silver keg.

The walls were adorned with posters of nineties pop culture icons (Cher Horowitz, anyone?) and movie posters. Sora had connected her television to her laptop. It was currently playing a Youtube playlist of nineties music videos. _Summer Girls _by LFO was currently playing as the girls began to get ready.

Sora had teased her hair at the crown of her head. Two strands of hair framed the sides of her face. She used gold mascara hair dye to temporally dye these strands for the party. Very Ginger Spice. She kept her eye makeup minimal - just a bit of black eyeliner on her upper lash line and mascara. On her lips, she wore red lipstick and an even deeper red lip liner. She had grown quite a bit since the Halloween of tenth grade, so the Union Jack dress only just covered her bottom. It was form fitting and clung in all the right places. She looked _hot_. Sora pulled on her red platform boots, they came up just below the knee. A final dusting of body glitter, and she was ready.

Mimi's costume wasn't quite as drastic. She wore a pale pink baby doll dress, made out of a sheer material. It was tight against her petite frame, and looked amazing on her. She wore knee-high white socks, and a pair of pink and white platform sneakers. Her hair was pulled up in two high pigtails, a few pieces of hair hung down and framed her face. She kept her makeup relatively simple; Sparkly pink blush on the apples of her cheeks, black eyeliner and mascara framed her cinnamon coloured eyes and a light pink lipgloss coated her lips. Around her neck, she wore a gold necklace that read the word _BABY _in bold capital letters. As a final touch, Mimi unwrapped a Strawberries and Cream _Chupa Chups _lollipop and stuck it in her mouth.

Sora held a piece sign in the mirror, and Mimi brought a finger to her lips as if to say _shhh._ Signature Spice Girls poses. They laughed at their reflections and began taking photos of themselves with their cellphones in various poses.

"No You're going to make my makeup run!" Mimi shouted between fits of laughter. Sora had begun doing the dance routine the two girls had made up ages ago to Ricky Martin's _Livin'_ _La Vida Loca_. Mimi joined in at the chorus, wagging her finger and shaking her lips. Sora knelt down on the floor, laughing hysterically. They would practise their dance routines on the pier and hoped some talent scout would just happen to walk by looking for backup dancers. Before they could to big finale (Mimi jumping into Sora's arms, much like Baby in _Dirty Dancing_), the doorbell rang.

Sora turned to Mimi and smiled widely. "Let the party begin!"

-x-

It was only a quarter past ten, and the party was already in full swing. The majority of the party guests showed up in decade-appropriate costumes. Those who didn't were still welcome, however they were subjected to evil glares from Mimi and Sora throughout the night. Kari Kamiya was the first of the original Digidestined to arrive, with Davis Motomiya in tow. When Mimi saw them she squealed with delight. She gave Kari a tight embrace. The younger Kamiya was dressed in a black micro mini dress and black stilettos, she was definitely Posh Spice. Mimi wrapped an arm over Kari's shoulder. "You look amazing!" She said in a bad British accent. "Is that your little Gucci dress?"

Kari laughed and put on an accent as well. "Well, I couldn't decide between my little Gucci dress, or my little Gucci dress!"

They were quickly joined by Sora, who hip bumped Kari. "You look good, little Kamiya!" She hugged Kari and thanked her for coming.

Davis was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a green sweater vest over a white long sleeved tee shirt and sneakers. Mimi pulled him into a hug and pulled away to analyze his outfit. "Let me think…" she tapped at her chin. "Are you… Doug?!"

Davis smiled and nodded his head just as Kari grabbed him to pull him to the dance floor. The dance floor (otherwise known as Sora's main room) was a mess of dancing bodies grinding up against each other, dancing to the music. The nineties soundtrack blared from the speakers, _Bring it All Back _by S Club 7 was currently playing. It looked like everyone was having a great time. Sora had enough of her party-hosting duties. She just wanted to dance and have fun. She danced to the centre of the floor and joined Kari and Davis. Davis was doing the Carlton dance, from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and the two girls were in fits of giggles.

The song faded out and a new song began. When it started playing, the room erupted in cheers.

__We like to party  
><em>_We like, we like to party  
><em>_We like to party  
><em>_We like, we like to party  
><em>_We like to party  
><em>_We like, we like to party  
><em>_We like to party__

Mimi was leaning against the kitchen counter pouring herself a drink. Her eyes scanned the room. She was looking for one of two boys. She was hoping that she had missed them come in and that they were in fact somewhere around here. Unfortunately, she couldn't spot the mess of blonde hair or the sky high brunette hair anywhere. She brought her cup up to her lips and drank. She looked out onto the dance floor to see Sora dancing wildly with Kari and Davis. She smiled to herself, it was so nice to see Kari, and even Davis. Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. She set her cup down and walked over to answer it.

_I've got something to tell ya  
><em>_I've got news for you  
><em>_Gonna put some wheels in motion  
><em>_Get ready 'cause we're coming through  
><em>_Hey now, hey now, hear what I say now  
><em>_Happiness is just around the corner  
><em>_Hey now, hey now, hear what I say now  
><em>_We'll be there for you_

Mimi swung the door open, hoping to see another one of the Digidestined, but was let down when it was just some girls from Sora's high school tennis team dressed as the Sailor Scouts from Sailor Moon. She sighed and let them pass her. As she was about to shut the door, someone stuck their foot inside. Mimi opened the door wider and was surprised to see Joe Kido and Izzy Izumi (In an incredibly strange and fluffy costume) standing before her. "Oh my God!" She breathed out, pulling them both into tight hugs. "I haven't seen you two in ages" Both boys beamed at her. She gestured for them to come inside and surveyed their outfits.

Joe was wearing blue medical scrubs, with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. Mimi cocked her head and smiled. "A doctor, Joe? Really?"

"I'm George Clooney in _ER_!" The blue-haired friend said, exasperated. "I know I'm not quite as handsome or chiseled as Clooney, though." Izzy and Mimi laughed.

Mimi looked at Izzy and couldn't hold in her giggles. He was wearing a suit covered in what appeared to be cotton balls. "And what exactly are you meant to be? A cotton swab?"

"Ha ha, very funny Meems. I'm Dolly the Sheep." Mimi stared at him blankly. "Dolly… You know… the first mammal to be cloned? She was cloned from an adult somatic cell, back in 1997-" He kept going on as Mimi half-listened, she was sure her eyes had glazed over. He was rambling on now about how Dolly was named after Dolly Parton. He stopped talking when he realized that Mimi was not paying attention. He sighed. "Well, I wanted to be the _Human Genome Project _but I couldn't figure out a costume for that."

Mimi snapped out of her trance and silently thanked the Heavens above that that was over. She pointed in Sora's direction. "Sora's on the dance floor, she will be so happy to see you! We'll talk later!" The two boys followed Mimi's finger and headed towards Sora. She watched as the two snuck up behind the birthday girl and heard Sora squeal.

_The Vengabus is coming  
><em>_And everybody's jumping  
><em>_New York to San Fransisco  
><em>_An intercity disco  
><em>_The wheels of steel are turning  
><em>_And traffic lights are burning  
><em>_So if you like to party  
><em>_Get on and move your body_

"Woah!" A voice came from behind Mimi, "This is like a time warp! Hey Baby Spice!" Mimi spun around surprised to find both Tai and Matt standing before her.

"Hey guys!" Mimi shouted over the music. She gave each boy a quick hug. "There's drinks and snacks in the kitchen and beer over there," She pointed to keg, where Davis was currently attempting (and failing) at a keg stand. She was happy to see Tai in costume. He wore a grey tee shirt and in yellow it said AC/DC. He had on red gym shorts and sneakers.

"I'm Butthead!" He announced happily when he noticed Mimi was sizing up his ensemble. "From Beavis and Butthead!" He gestured towards Matt. "I tried to get Ishida to dress up as Beavis, but he refused." He spotted Sora across the room. "I'm gonna go say happy birthday to Sor!"

Mimi stood alone with Matt, he was wearing jeans and a tee shirt. "Hmm…" she looked thoughtful for a moment. "Kurt Cobain?" She asked.

Matt shook his head. "I don't really _do _costumes."

_We like to party  
><em>_We like, we like to party  
><em>_We like to party  
><em>_We like, we like to party  
><em>_We like to party  
><em>_We like, we like to party  
><em>_We like to party_

* * *

><p><strong><em><em>Tarts Wardrobe/ **Hi Everyone! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I hope all you 90s kids felt nostalgic with all my 90s references! I meant to get this chapter up yesterday but I wasn't happy with how it ended so I had to change things up this morning. If you enjoyed it, please review and tell me some of your favourite 90s songs/characters/etc! And maybe I'll use them in the next chapter (which I'm going to start writing now!) The next chapter will continue where I've left off. Thanks for reading! xo

**Chapter Soundtrack/  
><strong>_Summer Girls _- LFO  
><em>Livin' La Vida Loca <em>- Ricky Martin  
><em>Bring it All Back - <em>S Club 7  
><em>We Like to Party (the Vengabus) - <em>The Vengaboys


	12. Truly Madly Deeply

**Nineteen  
><strong>By _Tarts Wardrobe_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any recognizable brands/lyrics/characters/etc**

* * *

><p>It was so nice to have everyone back together again. Nearly all of the Digidestined were dancing in the centre of the dance floor. T.K Takaishi had shown up earlier dressed in a tight black t-shirt, jeans and sunglasses. His blonde hair was gelled up into pompadour-style. Upon receiving quizzical glances he announced that he was meant to be Johnny Bravo. Davis snorted. "Isn't Johnny Bravo meant to be muscular?" But, he wasn't quite as jovial now as he watched T.K and Kari dancing together. Yolei Inoue and her boyfriend Ken Ichijouji had arrived as well, dressed as Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon. Yolei was practically fuming when Kari mentioned that there was already a few girls there that had dressed up as Sailor Moon. She went on a manhunt to go find them, and ensure that she was the better of the two Sailor Moon's.<p>

It was hot on the dance floor, but Mimi was having such a good time she didn't care. Her long pigtails swished behind her as she, Sora, Tai and Izzy all danced together. "I love this song!" someone in the crowd shouted out as a new track began to play.

_Oh!  
><em>_What the fuck..._

_What the fuck...  
><em>_Whoa bad..._

"I haven't heard this song in ages!" Sora shouted over the music. She grabbed Izzy's hands and began dancing feverishly. Mimi giggled. Watching Izzy dance was definitely amusing. Tai bumped his hip into hers and began doing the robot. Mimi tossed her head back, laughing harder than before, sending her long, honey coloured pigtails cascading down her back. She joined in, doing some robotic dance moves of her own, sending Kari, who had just joined them into fits of giggles.

"I've lived my whole life without seeing Tai dance," the youngest Kamiya said to Mimi. "and now that I've finally seen it, I wish I could un-see it."

"Hey!" Tai shouted, "I've got the moves!" He went down on the floor and tried to do the worm. He was unsuccessful.

"Tai, you are going to pay for my therapy bills. This sort of this can scar me for life." Kari joked, pulling a face at her older brother as he got up off the floor. Mimi wrapped her arms around the siblings shoulders and smiled widely.

"Guys!" She shouted, her voice was loud and excited. "There is no time to stand around talking!" She threw her arms up in the air. "We have to party like it's 1999!" She pulled Kari away and began dancing with her. She turned to look at Tai who was just standing back and watching her. She laughed and winked at him, dropping Kari's hands from her own. "Kamiya are you gonna come dance or what!"

_You burden me with your questions  
><em>_You'd have me tell no lies.  
><em>_You're always askin' what it's all about,  
><em>_Don't listen to my replies.  
><em>_You say to me I don't talk enough,  
><em>_But when I do I'm a fool.  
><em>_These times I've spent, I've realized,  
><em>_I'm gonna shoot through, and leave you._

From the corner of his eye, Matt could see Mimi dancing with their group of friends. She had begged him to join, but he wasn't a dancer. He really wasn't that much of a house party person either, the whole idea seemed kind of childish to him. House parties were for kids who weren't old enough to get into clubs or bars. And costume parties were for Halloween and children. He brought the plastic, pink cup up to his mouth and tossed his head back, finishing the entire contents. Vodka straight. The girls hadn't bought any whiskey, his drink of choice so he had to make do. A few drunk girls had staggered over to him, tripping over their own feet along the way. One of the girls was wearing a floppy, brimmed hat with a large Sunflower stuck to the front of it. He assumed she was Blossom. They flirted with him, and he flirted back. He even considered taking one (or all three) back home with him. But he shook the thought from his head when he looked back over to his friends on the dance floor.

He watched as Mimi threw her arms over the Kamiya siblings, and pulled Kari away to dance. Tai soon joined in. He watched as she moved along to the music, she had one arm around Tai's neck. She was laughing endlessly, shaking her hair behind her. He liked the way she moved. She was irresistible to him. It was just like that night at Crash, when he saw that stranger dancing with her. He felt… jealous. She looked incredibly sexy in her too-short, too-tight dress and knee high socks. He contemplated going over there and stealing her away for the rest of the night. Or…

He turned back around to the three drunk girls. Two of them had left and only Blossom remained. She smiled coyly and looked and him through her eyelashes. He cocked his head towards the balcony and she giggled girlishly and nodded. He walked off, leading her out the door.

_The things, you say,  
><em>_Your purple prose just gives you away.  
><em>_The things, you say,  
><em>_You're unbelievable._

-x-

It was just after midnight now and the party was still going strong. Joe had already left. He and his girlfriend Jun were back from Nagakute and staying in Odaiba for the summer at their parents houses. While traveling from Aichi, Jun had gotten the flu and was unable to make it to the party tonight. So, Joe was going to go see her. With his best friend gone, Izzy sat down by himself. He had long since removed his cotton-ball nightmare of a costume, it was not exactly something you'd want to wear while dancing in a room of sweating bodies.

"Having a good time?" Tai asked, nudging the smaller boy to make room ono the couch. Izzy shifted.

"I think I'm still a little _too _jet lagged to enjoy a party," Izzy laughed. "It's good to be back, though." He added thoughtfully. "I know we haven't kept in touch all the much, but I really do miss you guys." There was a hint of sadness in his voice. He didn't mean to get emotional, especially with Tai. He blamed it on the alcohol.

Tai smacked his shoulder. "We miss you too, man. School is not the same without you letting me copy your homework," He joked. Izzy gave a weak smile. "But for real," Tai continued, sounding more serious now. "It really sucks not having you around. Same with Joe, I know he isn't too far away, but… Man, I miss how things used to be…" He trailed off and Izzy knew that Tai had meant that he missed how things used to be back in the Digital World. Being solely dependent on one another and conquering so much together. Sure they argued, they argued a lot. But, when it came down to it there was not a single thing that Tai would not do for any of them. And he was sure everyone had felt the same, at least back then. Tai smiled fondly, he was remembering all the adventures that they had. He thought about the time when the Gekomon and the Otamamon had made Mimi their princess, in hopes that she would wake ShogunGekomon from his slumber. He laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" Izzy asked. Tai avoided the question.

"This summer we should all hang out!" He exclaimed so loudly and suddenly that Izzy jumped. "And I don't mean once in a while at a party," he gestured around the room. "I mean, the only time we even see each other is at a party!" He paused for a moment and looked thoughtful. "I know we can't go back to the Digital World, but maybe we could go camping or something one weekend? Or, we could just spend our days down at the park like we used to!" He turned to look at Izzy, hoping for some input. Izzy nodded his head in agreement.

It was when Izzy began concocting ideas of his own (He wasn't really paying attention) that Tai's eyes found Mimi on the dance floor. She was sandwiched between Sora and a blonde girl dressed in a very… revealing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume. He kept his eyes on Mimi and smiled to himself. She looked so beautiful dancing. Well, she looked beautiful all the time. She was smiling widely and Sora said something to her that made her shake with laughter.

Izzy realized that Tai wasn't paying him any attention. He turned his head towards the dance floor to see what Tai had been so consumed with. It was _her_. He sighed loudly and nudged Tai hard in the ribs.

"Yow!" Tai snapped back to reality, clutching at his side. "What was that for?" he asked, more confused than angry.

"Mimi?" Izzy asked. "Still?" Tai raised an eyebrow. "You still have a thing for Mimi? It's been what?" He quickly calculated in his head. "Seven years now? Have you even told her how you felt?"

"_Shhhh_! I didn't like her for seven straight years!" Tai hissed, looking around ensuring that nobody was listening to their conversation. He told Izzy about the time on the beach and their almost-kiss. And how since then, he had barely been able to think about anyone - or anything - else, except for her. Izzy was not exactly the guy you would go to for relationship advice, but from what Tai had told him, he seemed to think that Mimi was into him as well.

"You really think so?" Tai cursed himself for sounding like a thirteen year old girl. "I mean, are you sure?" Not any better. He sounded desperate. It was amazing the effect that Mimi had over him. He had girlfriends in the past, but none of them made him feel the way he felt about Mimi.

There was just something special about her.

-x-

_I'll be your dream  
><em>_I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy  
><em>_I'll be your hope I'll be your love  
><em>_Be everything that you need  
><em>_I'll love you more with every breath  
><em>_Truly, madly, deeply do  
><em>_I will be strong I will be faithful  
><em>_'cause I'm counting on  
><em>_A new beginning  
><em>_A reason for living  
><em>_A deeper meaning, yeah_

It was Sora's idea to incorporate some slow songs into the playlist. What better way to reminisce about the nineties than slow dancing, like they did at those lame elementary school dances when they were younger. When the song started playing, the crowd of dancing bodies came to a halt. Laughter erupted in the room, as people began discussing their experiences at school dances. The group on the dance floor thinned out. Some people left the dance floor, glittering with sweat, while others stayed behind with their partners to slow dance. He watched as Mimi removed herself from the swarm of couples now pairing themselves up around her. His eyes followed her to the kitchen where she leaned up against the counter, joining in on a conversation with two of the three Powerpuff Girls. Izzy was talking about _something_, but it all just sounded like white noise. He wanted to ask her to dance, but he was nervous. He was not sure why he was suddenly overcome by fear, it's not like she would say no. They were friends and she wasn't dancing with anybody else. He took a swig of beer, hoping it would give him a bit of courage, a trait in which he was supposed to possess. Ha! He could take on evil Digimon and save both the real world and the Digital World from danger, but he couldn't pluck up the courage to ask a girl to dance? Courageous? Yeah, right.

_I want to stand with you on a mountain  
><em>_I want to bathe with you in the sea  
><em>_I want to lay like this forever  
><em>_Until the sky falls down on me_

He sat his cup of beer down on the table and began making his way across the room to her. _Left foot, right foot, left foot._ He kept his eyes on her as he crossed the makeshift dance floor and pushed through the sea of dancing couples. He watched as she tossed her head back, laughing at something the blonde Powerpuff Girl said. Her pigtails shook from side to side, as she cupped a hand over her mouth to try and stifle her giggles. He could hear her laughter from where he stood, a few feet away now. As cliche as it sounded, her laughter was like music to his ears. It was loud, but not obnoxious. Almost melodic. He sighed deeply and took the final few steps towards her. _Five steps away, four steps away, three…_

_And when the stars are shining  
><em>_brightly in the velvet sky,  
><em>_I'll make a wish send it to heaven  
><em>_Then make you want to cry  
><em>_The tears of joy for all the  
><em>_pleasure and the certainty  
><em>_That we're surrounded by the  
><em>_comfort and protection of  
><em>_the highest powers  
><em>_In lonely hours  
><em>_The tears devour you_

Matt appeared out of nowhere and whispered something to Mimi. She looked at him and nodded taking his hand, she spun around to see Tai standing behind her. "Oh!" She said, clearly surprised. "Did you need something?" She asked in that sickly sweet voice of hers. It made his heart ache. He shook his head _no _and mumbled something about looking for Kari. "I haven't seen her." She said, she looked almost apologetic. Tai nodded. He watched as she and Matt walked away and went through the threshold leading out into the hallway. A part of him wanted to follow the two of them to see what they were about to do. He could pretend he was looking for the bathroom and just stumble into every room looking for them. But that wouldn't work. He practically grew up at Sora's, he knew the floor plan like the back of his hand. Mimi would catch him in a lie in a second.

The other part of him really did not want to know what they were up to. Is Matt the reason why Mimi hadn't kissed him that night in the water? Had they been secretly seeing each other? He thought about asking Sora, but if he mentioned anything he knew that Sora would report back to Mimi and repeat exactly everything he said. He sighed. Maybe he would just head home. He felt like the silly, lovesick boy he was way back when he first developed feelings for Mimi. _At least my emotions are on board with this whole nineties theme, _he thought. Matt had driven him here, so he didn't have a car. He considered calling a cab, but it was a Friday night. The streets were bound to be backed up, it would take the cab the same of time to get to his apartment as it would if he were to walk back. It was a relatively warm night, so he would just walk home. He finished the contents of his cup and left without saying goodbye to anyone.

_I want to stand with you on a mountain  
><em>_I want to bathe with you in the sea  
><em>_I want to lay like this forever  
><em>_Until the sky falls down on me_

-x-

It immediately started raining as soon as Tai's feet touched the sidewalk outside. It started off as a light drizzle, but that didn't last. A bolt of lightening tore the dark, menacing sky in two. _Just my luck,_ he thought bitterly, _a thunderstorm to get my mind off her._

Six Years Earlier

_A thirteen year old Tai Kamiya sat down on the balcony of his family apartment. Inside, his parents were sitting down with the Tachikawa's for coffee. Keisuke and Satoe Tachikawa brought along their daughter to spend time with Tai before their big move to America next week._

_Mimi sat on the chair next to Tai, hugging her knees to her chest. She rested her chin on her knee and sleepily watched the rain pour down onto the streets below them. A clap of thunder made her jump up out of her seat. Tai snickered and she glared at him. She brought her legs back up, this time tucking them under herself. "I've always loved thunderstorms." she said. As soon as the words left her lips she yawned widely. _

_This surprised Tai. Mimi just wasn't the type to enjoy bad weather. She seemed like the… sunshine and rainbows type. "How come?" he asked. He hated storms. Not because he was scared or anything like that. His mother wouldn't allow him to play soccer during such weather. He watched as Mimi untucked one leg from beneath her. She extended the leg and slipped her foot through the iron railing. His mouth twitched at the corners when he saw her glittery, pink toenail polish._

_Her exposed foot began collecting raindrops. She pulled it back under the sheltered balcony. "They're calming." She simply said. She stamped her wet foot down on the cement floor, leaving several foot prints. There was another crash of thunder and Tai yelped. She laughed amusedly. _

_He regained his composure. "I hardly call that _calming_!"_

_"No, I suppose your right." She looked thoughtful. "But when you're trying to sleep and you have your window open and you hear the rain outside, it's calming." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Or when you're being lazy on a Sunday morning cuddled up underneath a blanket watching a movie, it's just… nice." She looked up at him and smiled. "Plus, when it rains like this I get to hang out with you!" She pointed to the muddy soccer ball that lay in the corner. "And that _thing _is finally not attached to your hip." She laughed._

_They heard Mimi's parents calling her from inside. It was time to go home now. Mimi looked through the sliding glass doors at the four adults. They were all huddled around the front door talking, as her mother and father slipped their shoes on._

_Mimi stood up from her chair and bent down towards Tai and gently kissed him on the forehead. He turned bright red._

_"Wh-what was that for?" He asked, rubbing his forehead with the sleeve of his soccer jersey._

_"No reason." She smiled and pulled open the sliding doors and skipped across the room to meet her parents at the door._

_Tai had gained a new appreciation for thunderstorms._

-x-

Present Day

Mimi followed Matt behind a closed door, and he fumbled for the light switch. Compared to the dark atmosphere of the main living area, the bright lights of this room made Mimi's eyes sting. She looked around, trying to get her eyes to focus and she realized they were in Ms. Takenouchi's bedroom. Matt lead her to the two seater couch that had originally been outside the room, but was moved for the duration of the party. He went back towards the door and switched the lights back off.

She felt him sit down beside her and saw the outline of his body from the sliver of the light that came in through the blinds. He pulled her close to him hungrily, and wrapped an arm around her slim waist. He kissed her, gently at first but he got more aggressive, crushing his lips on hers. She ran a hand through his hair, and softly let out a small moan against his lips. He pushed her back, so she laid down on the couch and brought his fingers to the hem of her dress. He felt the soft skin of her upper thigh and kissed it, pushing the dress up. He hastily kissed up her thighs and stopped when his lips met the fabric of her underwear. With one rough tug, he pulled them down around her ankles and spread her legs apart. He ran his fingers up on down her inner thighs, leaving a pathway for his lips to follow. She tangled her fingers in the mess of blonde hair on his head, urging him to continue.

* * *

><p><strong>Tarts Wardobe **Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This one took me a while to get to you, I kept removing bits and adding new things in. I think I'm pretty happy with it. The little Mimato action at the end was hard for me to write, lol. I had to keep rewriting it, 'cause I kept making Matt do things that seemed more Tai-ish. If that makes any sense! Haha!

Michi fans! You probably want to kill me! And I'm sorry! But, I promise things will start to look up! If you didn't feel sad for Tai while reading this, I failed! As for you Mimato fans (Boo!) I know I'm not exactly painting our favourite blonde, brooding rockstar in the best light, so I apologize for that (kind of).

I'll probably start working on the next chapter now. Hopefully it will be up sometime tomorrow night. I'm also working on trying to write longer chapters, I know they've been kind of short in the past. I'm working on it, I swear! Please let me know what you thought about this chapter and if you're Team Mimato or Team Michi! I love reading your thoughts!

Thanks for reading!  
>xo Em<p>

**Chapter Soundtrack/ **  
><em>Unbelievable <em>- EMF  
><em>Truly Madly Deeply - <em>Savage Garden


End file.
